afrinpost-Exclusive
The Turkmen militia “Suleiman Shah/Al-Amshat,” affiliated with the Turkish authorities in Afrin, employs threats, beatings, and humiliation to collect imposed taxes on the residents of Ashka village in the Jindires district.
After collecting $125,000 in imposed taxes during the olive season solely from the residents of Mistka village in the Şiyê/Sheikh al-Hadid district, they imposed $280,000 on Ashka village alone, using the force of arms to enforce payment.
Special sources reported for “afrinpost” that militia members of “Al-Amshat” assaulted two citizens from Ashka village about five days ago, using physical violence and humiliation for not paying the $3 tax per olive tree.
The assaulted individuals are: Birqdar Muhammad Mistko (50 years old) who owns 300 olive trees, and Siamand Muhammad Hussein (35 years old) who also owns around 300 olive trees.
This contradicts the claim by the media office of the so-called Ministry of Defense of the interim Syrian government that protecting olive groves and returning them to their owners in the Afrin region is a priority for the Syrian National Army. A video clip was posted on November 26th as part of a plan to distort the established truth.
Various methods of theft and robbery during this year’s olive season have emerged, and the cancellation of agency agreements was one of the tactics used by militias to seize the fields owned by absent and forcibly displaced individuals, in addition to the fees for protection and tree-trimming imposed.
