afrinpost-Exclusive
In a relentless pursuit of looting and exploiting the resources of Afrin’s original Kurdish population, the Turkish-affiliated militias controlling the region have persisted in violating property rights and depriving locals of their livelihoods, all under the guise of various regulations, orders, and direct threats of imprisonment or worse. Their goal? Seizing control of the olive harvest season in the occupied Afrin region.
Specific Target: Olive Oil Production Facilities
afrinpost has learned through reliable sources that the Economic Bureau associated with the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia in the Rajo sub-district conducted a comprehensive survey of villages under their control. They issued a stern order prohibiting local residents from transporting their olive harvests outside the militia’s designated sector, accompanied by explicit threats of imprisonment.
Furthermore, these militias compelled local farmers to process their olive crops exclusively in mills controlled by them. These mills include five key locations: one adjacent to Mamlah village, owned by Said Oumeih; another situated across from Rajo town’s arch, owned by Abdo Kureh; a third located in Kura village, owned by Omar; a fourth near Qantara village, owned by Amin Ali; and a fifth owned by Abu Rashid in Atmana village. Any deviation from this rule, pressing olives in any other non-specified mill, resulted in the threat of imprisonment.
Forced Delay in Harvesting: Until November
In the Bulbul sub-district, the economic overseer of the “Sultan Murad” militia, known as “Walid Abu al-Azz,” issued an order that effectively prohibits locals from harvesting olives in the militia-controlled sector of Bulbul before November 1st. This directive arises from Abu al-Azz’s preparations to establish his olive oil mill in Qastal Muqdad village, set to be operational by the start of November. Consequently, the residents of villages within the “Sultan Murad” militia’s jurisdiction are denied the opportunity to harvest their olives until this date. This is a coercive tactic to ensure they process their olives exclusively in his mill.
Additionally, owners of other mills in the area are strictly forbidden from initiating operations before the specified date. Anyone disregarding these directives, whether locals or mill proprietors, faces forcible apprehension and an uncertain fate. These measures are carefully orchestrated to enable militia members and their associated IDPs to exploit the olive harvest season to their advantage.
Within the city of Afrin itself, security personnel affiliated with the political security militia stationed at al-Qaws checkpoint, the city’s entrance, resorted to drastic actions, including the felling of olive trees near Harsh and the Grain Center. Subsequently, they transported the acquired wood and sold it to an IDP originating from Idlib in al-Ashrafieh neighborhood.
