Turkey builds new settlement in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – A local organization, in coordination with Turkey, finished in mid-December, 2023, building a new settlement in Jabal al-Ahlam (al-Ahlam Mountain) in the south of the city of Afrin, northwestern Syria.
An informed source told North Press that a local organization, with support believed to be Palestinian, completed the construction of 150 new residential units in Jabal al-Ahlam (al-Ahlam Mountain) under the name of al-Kheir village.
The source added that the project was constructed near six other settlements that were built between 2021 and 2023 with Palestinian and Kuwaiti support. The number of apartments constructed in that area amounts to 1000.
Local organizations, with Saudi support, completed the construction of three settlements in December 2023. One settlement is located in the forest of Kafr Safra village, and another in the al-Mahmoudiyah forest overlooking Afrin.
The number of settlements built by Turkish, Kuwaiti, Palestinian, and Qatari organizations in Afrin is approximately 38. The settlements are located in the towns of Sharran, Sheikh Hadid (Shiye), Jindires, Bulbul, and Rajo, according to North Press correspondent.
Afrin has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), since March 2018 following the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting “Turkish national security.”
Since then, they have constructed multiple settlements and settled thousands of people from other areas in the houses of the forcibly displaced Kurdish inhabitants in Afrin.
In 2023, Turkey constructed 28 settlements in Afrin, with the support of Kuwaiti, Qatari, Saudi, Palestinian, and Turkish organizations, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.