afrinpost – Exclusive
Reports from our correspondent in Afrin indicate that since June 1st, armed militias belonging to the Turkish-backed Hamza Division have been systematically cutting down 650 pomegranate trees owned by Mohammad Ali Hamkourou, a resident of the village of Kurzêlê/Qurzihel in occupied Afrin.
Earlier, on June 2nd, members of Faylaq al-Sham militia had also destroyed olive trees in the forcibly displaced citizen Abdul Nasser Khalil’s field. The field is situated between the villages of Basoufan and Baya in the Sherawa sub-district, with the pretext of his affiliation with the Autonomous Administration, which previously ruled the reigon. It is worth noting that the field is currently managed by Abdul’s brother.
These incidents are part of an ongoing pattern where Turkish-backed militias are ruthlessly engaging in the illegal logging of olive and fruit trees, as well as engaging in trade with the harvested timber. Such activities are carried out with the complicity of Turkish forces and their security apparatus, serving as a means of financial support.
