SNA faction seizes civilians’ houses in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – A faction of the Turkish-backed armed opposition, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), seized on Tuesday civilians properties in Afrin region, northwestern Syria.
Sultan Suleiman Shah (al-Amshat) Division seized three houses and farmlands of the civilians in the village of Bassouta in the south of Afrin. The owners are now IDPs in Aleppo. They have fled the violations committed by the SNA factions following their control of their village.
An official at the Turkish-backed Local Council of Bassouta said a group affiliated with Farhan Salah al-Ayed, known as Abu Ramah, a leader of al-Amshat, seized three houses and a 180-acre farmland cultivated with olive and vegetables.
The official told North Press that the seizure was done under the pretext that their owners were members of the of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Afrin, a Kurdish-majority region, has been under the occupation of Turkey and the control of the SNA factions since 2018 following the so-called Olive Branch military operation to push away the People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the bordering region under the pretext of protecting “the Turkish national security.”
Since then, numerous human rights reports have been published that note to ongoing seizure operations of houses and properties belonging to the original inhabitants of Afrin, who were forced to leave their hometown.