Turkey’s backed groups in Afrin continue violations, cut down dozens of perennial olive trees

Afrin – North-Press Agency
Mohammad al-Ahmad

Since their control over the Syrian-Kurdish region of Afrin, northern Syria, the Turkish military and its affiliated armed opposition groups have been deliberately cutting down trees that date back decades ago.

Local sources confirmed to North-Press that the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups cut down the perennial oak tree deliberately, which is more than 500 years old in the bushes of Barakah village, in Muabatli district in Afrin.  

The local sources from Afrin also told North-Press that those Turkish-backed armed groups have deliberately cut down more than 50 olive trees which belong to Mustafa Qashlah in Jinderis district in Afrin. 

 
The sources pointed out that the age of the trees which were cut down are more than 70 years, noting the trees are located in the vicinity of the archaeological hill of Jinderis, where the Turkish military base lies.  

It is noteworthy that, to Turkish-backed al-Amshat armed group has intentionally cut down dozens of olive trees in the village of Shorba in Muabatli district and in the village of Gundi Khalil in Sheikh-Hadid district, where the ages of the trees are more than 60 years. The number of olive trees in Afrin region amounts to more than 18 million trees, producing an amount of olive oil of up to 270,000 tons in the fruitful years, with about 250 olive presses, representing about 70% of the income of the people of the region.