afrinpost-Exclusive
The Turkish-backed “Syrian National Army militias in the occupied region of Afrin persist in their encroachments on the olive crop, preventing local citizens from harvesting their produce while imposing levies under the pretext of protection. These actions are taken to maximize their theft of the crop, all while Turkish authorities neglect the complaints lodged by the local residents.
In detail, a correspondent for “afrinpost” reported that the “Sultan Murad Brigade” militia prevents the residents of the villages of Qarah Tabah and Qastal Kishk from harvesting olives from their fields before the upcoming date of November 15. As well as, they have imposed a levy of 200 Turkish liras on every citizen under the pretext of tree and crop protection.
However, this levy seems to be nothing more than a ruse, aimed at providing militia members with ample time to engage in widespread olive theft. They brazenly infiltrate the fields, seizing the olives, and destructively breaking tree branches. Regrettably, local residents find themselves powerless to halt these offenses or safeguard their lands.
Among those who have fallen victim to these land violations and olive theft are individuals such as Ahmad Hamo, Muhammad Hamo, Ahmad Jasim, Abdul Mannan Sheikh Mus, Muhammad Oso, Abdul Hannan Sheikh Mus, and Mustafa Oso.
Our correspondent added that the residents lodged complaints at the militia’s headquarters, but as usual, Turkish authorities disregarded them and did not intervene to stop the attacks, despite what was promoted regarding the issuance of a directive by the so-called Temporary Syrian Government’s Ministry of Defense.
The directive “strictly forbids collecting any in-kind or monetary taxes from the olive crop under any pretext.” It calls on all militias to preserve “the livelihoods of the citizens” and facilitate the harvesting and transportation of the crop with complete freedom, as reported by websites sympathetic to Ankara-affiliated militias.
