afrinpost– Exclusive
In a significant development, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has successfully apprehended Yazid Bashkawi, a high-ranking member and security official of the Turkish-backed “Hamzat” militia, in the town of Rajo. Bashkawi is widely known for his extensive record of human rights abuses. Surprisingly, a group of IDPs hailing from Ma’arat Hurma town in Idlib province have appealed to the organization for his release, describing him as a “mujahid” in an attempt to influence the leadership of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. The appeal letter stated, “You are well aware of what Brother Yazid Abu Ahmad has done to the Shiites and Majus.”
It is worth mentioning that Yazid Bashkawi has a notorious history of violations against the residents of Rajo. He currently resides in a seized property belonging to the late Nadeem Youssef’s family in the village of Atmana. Furthermore, he has transformed the residence of local resident Hajj Rashid Jibai into a security headquarters within the same village.
On May 10, 2023, afrinpost reported that Bashkawi, along with two other leaders of the “Hamzat” militia, was involved in the illegal sale of a 5-hectare agricultural land parcel in the village of Atmana approximately a year and a half ago. The land, known by the villagers as “Sari Hirk,” is legally owned by the local community, according to a court ruling.
Additionally, Bashkawi is implicated in the recent arrest by the military police militia in the town of Rajo on May 6, 2023, of Kurdish civilians Adham Murad Salman (50 years old) and Abdul Qadir Othman Rashid from their residence in Haj Khalil village, Rajo sjb-district. The arrest was carried out under the pretext of filming and disseminating video footage to the media. These recorded clips expose the theft of humanitarian aid intended for the local population by an official from the AFAD organization in Rajo named Abu Bakr, in collaboration with the “Hamzat” militia.
Moreover, Bashkawi and members of his family receive financial proceeds from the sale of firewood from cedar, oak, and pistachio trees. His partner and deputy, Wael Al-Saeed (Abu Saeed), is responsible for cutting down these trees using a chainsaw in the surrounding mountains of the villages of Hasan, Kumrash, and Karê in the Rajo sub-district. The illegal logging also includes olive trees in the villages of Atmana, Hajika, Hasan Kalqawi, Barbaneh, and Quda.
In an act of coercion, the armed militant, Akba Bashkawi, who is the brother of Yazid Bashkawi, prevents locals from cultivating the lands between the villages of Atmana, Moseke, and Hajiko, leaving his own and his father’s flock of 250 sheep free to graze as they please.
