afrinpost– Exclusive
Our reporter in afrin said that a group of IDPs affiliated with the Turkish-backed “Hamza Division/Hamzat” militia has been extorting money from the owner of a residential building in al-Ashrafieh neighborhood of occupied Afrin. The owner, Mr. Abu Fadi Jal’ut, a long-time resident of Afrin, has been unable to reclaim his property for the past five years.
The IDPs, who have occupied a portion of the building, have refused to vacate despite Abu Fadi’s attempts to remove them. Abu Fadi lodged a complaint with the military police in Afrin, demanding the restoration of his residential property. However, the IDPs insisted on a payment of ten thousand dollars as a condition for their evacuation. They claimed that the money was needed for renovations and sewage system installation.
This incident sheds light on an alarming trend in the region, where armed individuals associated with militias or occupying forces exploit their position to seize properties unlawfully. This practice has caused distress and financial burden for the rightful owners, who are often left with no choice but to negotiate with the IDPs.
In a separate incident, three armed individuals forcibly entered the home of Jihad Muhammad Jabu, a 24-year-old Kurdish citizen residing on the outskirts of Qara Gul village, on July 7. They shot him directly, inflicting two gunshot wounds to his shoulder, before fleeing the scene. The attackers issued threats and demanded that Jabu and his family vacate their home.
