afrinpost-Exclusive
In contrast to what has been promoted, the Ministry of Defense of the so-called interim government has called on Turkish-affiliated armed militias to provide facilitation for olive harvesting and its free transportation. They emphasized the importance of not imposing any levies under any pretext to mitigate the usual infringements during the olive season and to safeguard the livelihoods of citizens.
North Press Agency reported today, on Thursday, October 19, 2023, that fighters from the “Al-Hamzat” and “Faylaq al-Sham” militias are preventing Kurdish citizens from harvesting olives, alleging their proximity to demarcation lines with Syrian government forces.
The agency quoted a Kurdish farmer who stated that the “Al-Hamzat” and “Faylaq al-Sham” militias prohibited dozens of Kurdish citizens in villages such as Basoufan, Barad, Burj Haydar, and Kabashin, located in the Sherawa sub-district south of Afrin, from picking olives in lands close to the demarcation lines with Syrian government forces.
These militias have accused the Kurdish farmers of collusion and monitoring military positions. This ban coincided with the arrest of three local citizens from the area a week ago, who were subsequently released after paying a substantial financial ransom.
Furthermore, sources have indicated that the “Faylaq al-Sham” militia granted permission for some citizens to harvest their crops. However, they imposed a significantly high fee amounting to 60% of the yield, which raised concerns among most citizens, fearing they would be unable to harvest their crops this year.
