SNA faction raises royalty for harvesting fruit trees in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – A faction of the Turkish-backed armed opposition, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), imposed on Sunday new royalties on farmers for harvesting fruit trees in the countryside of Afrin, northwestern Syria.
Farmers told North Press that the SNA’s Sham Legion (Faylaq al-Sham) imposed new royalties in U.S. dollar in return for harvesting pomegranate and fruit trees in villages in the south of Afrin as the harvest season nears.
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.
The farmers pointed out that this year the faction imposed $2.5 per fruit tree, such as pomegranate, pears, peaches, and nectarine in Bassouta and surrounding villages of Ain Dara and Ghazawiyah.
The SNA factions have imposed royalties ever since they took control of Afrin, however they increased the royalties from $1.5 to $2.5 this year, according to the farmers.
Moreover, with the beginning of every season, Sham Legion dispatches specialized committees affiliated with its so-called “Agriculture Office” to do a tree census in the area.
SNA factions since their control of the Afrin region have imposed taxes and royalties on farmers during olive and fruit seasons. They also imposed royalties in exchange for permission to cultivate farmlands, in addition to controlling thousands of hectares of farmlands of the original inhabitants of Afrin.