SNA faction imposes royalties on olive farmers in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – A faction affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) has imposed royalties on residents in the Sharran district in the countryside of Afrin, northwest Syria, in exchange for allowing them to harvest their olive crops.
Local residents informed North Press that a checkpoint belonging to the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (al-Amshat) located at the intersection of the Maydanki Dam northeast of Afrin has imposed royalties on owners of olive fields near the dam in order to allow them access to their lands.
They further stated that the faction’s militants took advantage of the checkpoint’s location in an area where tens of hectares of olive trees are harvested annually. The imposed royalties ranged between $100 and $200 for each farmer, depending on the size of their field.
The Afrin region has been under the control of Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions since March 2018 following a military operation dubbed ‘olive branch’. Since then, the region has witnessed numerous human rights violations against its residents and their properties.
Activists in the city of Afrin have reported a significant increase in robberies and home break-ins, with over 15 incidents recorded in less than 24 hours.