afrinpost-exclusive
Our correspondent reported that the “Al-Hamza Division,” controlling the villages of Faqira, Gawrka, Kafr Dali Foqani, Kafr Dali Tahtani, and Gazeh in the Jindires sub-district of occupied Afrin, has annulled all power of attorney documents belonging to displaced residents of these villages who now live in areas under the Autonomous Administration or Syrian regime control.
The militia is imposing a levy of $2 on each fruit-bearing olive tree, regardless of its size, and $0.5-1 on non-fruit-bearing trees from the fields of the remaining local residents. They are also seizing 30-40% of the olive yield from the fields owned by citizens residing abroad, without accounting for the past two years of agricultural expenses.
In addition, more than 20 people from these villages were interrogated at the militia’s headquarters in the village of Marateh, west of Afrin, to scrutinize the properties of citizens living in areas under the Autonomous Administration or Syrian regime control. Some of them were forced to pay levies ranging between $2,000 and $3,000, accused of managing the properties of displaced persons allegedly affiliated with the “party” according to the militia.
To enforce its strategy of seizing property and collecting levies, the Al-Hamza Division has formed committees from its agents and pressured local village “mukhtars” into cooperating.
The “Syrian National Army” militias, backed by Turkey, continue to tighten their grip and exploit the people of Afrin, amid a lack of international intervention to halt these ongoing violations and crimes.
