afrinpost-Exclusive
In the occupied Kurdish region of Afrin, Turkish authorities are actively promoting a settlement agenda. Simultaneously, they are executing several settlement projects, all of which receive funding from Islamist associations in the Arab world and Islamic organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in various countries.
On October 11, 2023, Ihveder Charitable Foundation inaugurated “Wafa al-Muhsinin” residential settlement village, consisting of 80 houses. Each housing unit includes two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a front garden, with a total area of 113 square meters. Construction commenced in October 2022, and the foundation announced that the financing for the village came from the Omani people.
The project was established on approximately 1.5 hectares of land in the northwestern part of al-Mahmoudiya nighborhood in the city of Afrin. The foundation refrained from specifying the location and the area’s name in its electronic identifications. The land on which the project was established belongs to the “Barhou” family from the city. Hundreds of olive trees were uprooted from the land to make way for the settlement.
On August 2, 2023, the Palestinian Ihveder Foundation had previously launched a settlement project named “Al-Za’eem” after the Palestinian village near the city of Jerusalem. This project was funded by the Palestinian community and is located in the village of Kafr Safra in the Jindires sub-district. At the time of the village’s opening, people from Palestinian territories were already relocated to Afrin via Turkey.
According to the foundation’s announcement, 34 housing units have already been delivered within the project, while preparations for 80 more housing units have been underway for several weeks, financed by the Omani people. The Arab IDPs are expected to be moved into these units before the coming winter season.
The headquarters of the Ihveder Charitable Foundation is in Istanbul, Turkey. The foundation was established in Turkey in 2018, and it has offices and branches in several countries, including Turkey, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Burma, and Burkina Faso. The chairman of its board is “Abdullah Muhammad Al-Asatal,” a native of Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
On February 25, 2023, the “al-Khair Charity Foundation – Middle East Office” laid the cornerstone for a new settlement village at Lelun Mount (Jabal Al-Ahlaam) near the village of Kimareh, within the Sherawa sub-district. This initiative was carried out in cooperation with the “International Relief and Development Organization (Ansar) – Turkey,” its main partner.
On April 8, 2023, Al-Khair Foundation disclosed through a video clip posted on its Facebook page that the construction of 1,000 housing units was ongoing. Each unit has an area of 50 square meters. The Foundation continues to appeal for support through its website titled “Zakat Is Due,” bearing the slogan “A House in Place of a Tent in Northern Syria.” Both organizations operate within the framework of the global Muslim Brotherhood organization, under the banner of Islamic charities.
“Al-Khair Foundation” was established in 2003 and has projects in 29 countries. “Ansar” was established in Turkey in 2011 and has its main office in Gaziantep.
On September 27, 2023, North Press Agency published a report about the construction of the “Abaa’ir Village” on public land near Qurtqalaq village in the Sharan sub-district. The settlement project consists of 250 houses. However, there were no official statements or information available about the project, the executing party, or the funding source.
The project does not have an official webpage or any published information on online platforms. Nevertheless, a local source confirmed that the project is being carried out under the supervision of “Araba Idris,” one of the leaders of the “Sultan Murad” militias. He is the nephew of General “Salem Idris,” the former Minister of Defense in the so-called “Interim Government.” Araba Idris hails from the town of Mubarakya in rural Homs. He had previously cleared a substantial area of public land, approximately 18 hectares, at the entrance to the village of Qurtqalaq and neighboring Kfarum, for the purpose of establishing the settlement project.
