By Siwar Hamo
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – After Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), seized control of Afrin in Northwest Syria, the region was divided into military sectors under the authority of these groups, which have been accused of various violations, including environmental exploitation.
Ongoing oak tree deforestation
Local forests and thickets have not been spared. In 2020, the Sham Legion (Faylaq al-Sham), a faction controlling many villages in the Rajo district, established charcoal production sites and firewood markets, mainly concentrated in the village of Maydana.
Abdi Muhammad (a pseudonym), a local resident of Maydana, told North Press that the Sham Legion operates several charcoal production centers in the village.
He described how the faction has been cutting down oak trees from nearby forests, burning them, and converting the wood to charcoal.
Muhammad noted that the faction members primarily work in these centers, and their activities have expanded over the past two years due to increased tree-cutting in villages like Kusan, Ali Biske, and Blilko. Large areas have been cleared, and wood is sorted by size and type before being sold.
Deliberate fires
Hadi Ayno (a pseudonym), another local resident, alleged that the Legion intentionally sets fires in these forests. He reported that the faction members and associated civilians gather burned trees from these areas, transporting them by motorcycle or donkey to charcoal production sites.
Ayno added that the faction leaders in the village oversee these operations, taking half of the profits from charcoal and firewood sales. The products are sold directly to traders, with military vehicles escorting shipments to areas like Rajo, Afrin, Azaz, and Idlib.
Smooth transport through checkpoints
Ahmad Hesso, from Maydana, revealed that the faction-affiliated transporters pay fees to pass smoothly through Turkish-backed Military Police checkpoints at Afrin, Rajo, and Azaz. For a truck carrying 1 to 1.5 tons, a fee of 200 Turkish lira is collected; charcoal shipments into Afrin incur an additional 100-lira fee at Civilian Police checkpoints, with funds reportedly directed to the Afrin Local Council.
Hesso explained that charcoal and firewood sites established by the Sham Legion have operated for four years, employing workers from Homs Governorate. Some displaced villagers’ homes have even been converted into processing centers.
Since Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” in 2018, Turkish-backed SNA factions have controlled Afrin, leading to the displacement of around 300,000 Kurdish residents, many now sheltering in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region.
