afrinpost-Exclusive
The militant known as “Abu Abdullah Al-Zurba,” hailing from the town of Zurba in the Aleppo countryside, who the leader of the “Suqour al-Shamal” militia in the Rajo subdistrict, along with his deputy, known as “Al-Batoushi,” have organized groups of IDPs to steal olive crops in several villages in the Rajo subdistrict.
According to our correspondent, “Al-Zurba” and his deputy “Al-Batoushi” brought 150 IDPs and, for over a week now, began harvesting olive crops from fields they seized from the residents of the villages of Hupka and Sheikh Bilo, who were forcibly displaced from Afrin. They then proceed to press the olives at night in the oil press of the “Mamduh Oumma” family, which is taken over by “Abu Abdullah Al-Zurba’s” cousin.
Our correspondent added that “Al-Zurba” has leased the mountains of the Hupka and Sheikh Bilo villages to the IDPs to cut down timber in the forests for trade.
It is worth noting that the leader of the “Suqour al-Shamal” militia in Rajo, “Abu Abdullah Al-Zurba,” has a record filled with violations, including seizing several cars belonging to the locals without returning them despite their demands. He also prevents anyone from entering the forests of Mount Hawar with the aim of monopolizing the cutting of its timber for his own benefit and operates a charcoal kiln in Rajo, producing vegetable charcoal for trade.
As for his deputy, known as “Al-Batoushi,” who hails from the city of Tabqa, he is infamous for his bad reputation and numerous violations and assaults in the Rajo subdistrict. Both of them, the leader and his deputy, were part of the ranks of the Islamic State organization “ISIS” before transitioning to the occupied Afrin region.
