afrinpost-Exclusive
As the olive harvest season concludes across various villages in occupied Afrin, the Turkish-affiliated militias stand accused of persistent financial and in-kind extortion. Despite prior imposition of diverse levies on fields and tree ownership under the pretext of protection, these militias continue to tighten their grip on locals in Afrin.
According to our correspondent, the Turkish-backed “Suleiman Shah/Al-Amshat” militia, controlling the towns of Sheikh al-Hadid and Ma’batli and their associated villages, has informed Kurdish citizens, who haven’t paid the imposed levies, that they will pay doubled levies unless settled within the current week.
While militias intensify their pressure on locals, activists report substantial sums, estimated in the tens of millions of dollars, being transferred to Turkey.
Earlier, the “Amshat” militia had collected approximately $125,000 in imposed levies during the olive season in the village of Mestka in the Sheikh al-Hadid district. Additionally, they levied $280,000 on the village of Ashka to the west, actively enforcing collection by force.
In a related context, the so-called “Economic Bureau” affiliated with the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia in Rajo district reportedly amassed around $600,000 in levies during this year’s olive season.
In the village of Avraze, the in-kind levies of olive oil amounted to 459 tin cans (16 kg net), while the neighboring village of Sheikh Kila reported 300 tin cans.
Notably, statistics from the village of Kotana in the Bulbul district revealed that “Adnan Al-Khuwailid/Abu Walid Al-Azah,” head of the economic office in the “Sultan Murad” militias, seized approximately 10,500 olive trees belonging to forcibly displaced villagers. This occurred after canceling all power of attorneys, resulting in a yield of 4,000 tons of olives and 5,000 barrels/cans of olive oil (16 kg net) valued at a minimum of half a million dollars, without incurring any expenses or contributing to agricultural services provided over two years.
Furthermore, the “Samarqand” militia reportedly collected over $60,000 by canceling the power of attorneys in the village of Kafr Safra in Jindires district, aside from appropriating the entire harvest from 25,000 olive trees in the village.
