Has the inaction of the administrative and political authorities increased the fire calamity?
“The large flames surrounded the tractor, while my father remained trapped, so we took him to Damascus, but he died on the way.”
With these words and with a broken heart, Abdul-Aziz Al-Asa’ad, from Sikhor village in the town of Amuda, northern Syria, described his father’s burning, who was helping to extinguish the fire that was set on the fields of villages along with the international road between Hasakah and Amuda.
This fire was one of many which set on a wide range of areas in the north and eastern Syria, which affected grain crops and threatened the food security of Syria in general.
Despite the explicit announcement by the Islamic State (ISIS) by adopting the burning of crops this year in Syria and Iraq, yet, conflicting parties in Syria have accused each other of doing that.
Where the Syrian and Turkish governments have both accused the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of setting the fire. While the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria has accused some people who are linked to the Syrian government, in addition to accusing the Turkish border guards of causing the fire by their gunshots.
The first moment of fire
“The fire came from the international highway”, Hamedi Muhammad, a resident of Al-Qahtaniyah told North-Press, while he was putting out the fire that set in his crops.
In one of the crop-burning incidents, Ahmad Nuri Mustafa, from the village of Sikhor in Amuda, said in an audio recording to North-Press, that a villager during attending “Omar Al-Asa’sd funeral, had told the crowded people that he’d witnessed the moment when the fire was set over crops.
He pointed out that on the 6th of June, at 1 pm, he was standing on the hill of Afgira village in Amuda countryside, close to the international highway, when he saw people in an H1 white-colored van, setting fire on crops and fleeing towards the town of Tal-Tamer, which is a bot far, about 45 km from the events site.
According to conclusions, the vehicle in which the fire setters were traveling by, passed the checkpoint of Tal-Tamer at 1:30 pm from the east that day, this is what should be appearing in the recordings of security cameras of the checkpoint, and if the criminal changed his escape route, he will select one-path road to the south which is Al-Darbasiyyah-Hasakah road, he is supposed to have passed the first checkpoint on that road at the same time.
In the same date, at 10:30 am, a large was of fire was set on an olive farm known as Al-Safeh farm 15 km east of Ras Al-Ein, on the road between Tal-Tamer and Ras Al-Ein.
People from Al-Safeh and Khirbat Al-Beer villages between Tal-Tamer and Ras Al-Ein, confirmed to North-Press that they saw two unknown persons driving a motorcycle, and they were setting fire to the crops before fleeing.
People said that the two unknown persons headed towards Ras Al-Ein, and they probably went through a sub-road to the south after crossing Al-Jirjab River via Al-Safeh bridge, which means going into areas formerly controlled by IS.
Sultan Al-Jad’an, from Al-Garra village in the middle of Jabal Abdul-Aziz and a member of the village council, told North-Press that he had seen the moment of setting fire in Al-Mastour, Al-Kharita and Al-Shalashiya south of Khabour River, pointing that he saw the burning in several places, four directions and at the same time, where 3350 dunums of the crops of one owner of the lands in these villages burnt.
These testimonies and fire incidents confirm that fire setters also depend on electronic devices or burning lenses in causing fire, as long as no one is there at the time of making the fire, except for some cases where the burning is done directly.
The testimony of people who have seen the moment of burning the crops shows that most of them, including large fires, start in areas adjacent to highways, especially around the international highway or byways leading directly to them. This indicates that fire setters cannot move away from highways and get through byways in order to be able to escape quickly, this indicates that the security apparatus has a defect in controlling the highways, especially during the harvest season.
In addition, written testimonies show that after the moment of setting the fire, the persons behind setting the fire, flee towards southern regions, which indicates that fire setters are fleeing to areas that were formerly controlled by ISIS.
Ongoing investigations
People affected by the burning of crops demand the detection of criminals and prosecuting them, also demanding the Autonomous Administration to break its silence and reveal those who are responsible for burning their crops.
In this regard, North-Press has interviewed Kanaan Barakat, the co-chair of the Interior Board in Al-Jazira, concerning the security investigations in this context, Barakat stated that they’ve arrested some people and that the investigations are still ongoing, indicating that those persons were present in the places at the moment the fire was started.
“Some people have noted their car-license numbers as they were passing through the place, the arrested persons are in a state of denial, but according to some information obtained by us, the facts are being slowly discovered,” Barakat added.
Barakat also ascribed the fire to other reasons saying: “Some of the agricultural machinery in Tal-Hamis caused fires, children who were grazing sheep near Tal-Barak town caused a fire, and the shootings by the Turkish border guards caused a fire in Ein-Diwar in Malikiya/Derik”.
Barakat arranges the fire reasons by saying: “Arson suspected in the first place, and other reasons such as agricultural machinery and children’s mistakes, pointing out that the areas are too wide and cannot be covered securely, where criminals can set fires by a car or a motorcycle and keep out of sight.”
As for the number of people arrested, the co-chair in the Interior Board stated that they had arrested 7 suspects for setting fires.
The Calls
With no doubt, putting out fires is the duty of all civilian and military forces in a society that fire devoured its food basket.
But in north and east Syria there are still some people who are still just watching the scene, Kurdish political parties and movements, for example, have been silent, except few words or statements and very late appeals.
To learn about the role of Kurdish political parties and their contribution in putting out the fires, guiding the community with advice to reduce or relieve damage or working for bringing regional or international aid, in this regard, North-Press addressed some questions to the various Kurdish political parties.
In an interview with Abdul-Karim Muhammad, a leader in “Kurdistan Democratic Party-Syria” (PDKS), he said: “We appealed to The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, The UN, and The International Coalition through our foreign affairs office, in order to help the people, then, it’s up to them in what they will provide to this community, the matter is beyond the borders, we brought our voice to them to help us as much as they can.”
About whether they issued a written statement to their members and supporters to help the farmers, Muhammad’s answer was “No” saying: “We told them verbally in the meetings,” explaining that they didn’t work to bring firefighting machines from The KRG in Iraq as an attempt by them, adding that they appealed all sides, but they didn’t get any response.
While Shero Muhammad, head of the legal committee of “Democratic Society Movement” north of Syria said: “At our meetings, we have issued official instructions to all of our institutions to be responsible everywhere, to put out fires and report about any sabotage.”
During his talk to North-Press, Muhammad explained that they issued their instructions on the official website of the Movement noting that “they, as Democratic Society Movement didn’t ask anyone to send them firefighting machines,” because “our Administration was on standby”.
On June 10, The Autonomous Administration issued a statement appealing all peoples of north and east Syria, especially in Al-Jazira region to be alerted, ready and to help to put out the fire burning wheat and barley crops in north and east Syria.
For its part, “Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party” in Syria (PDPKS), had issued a statement to the public on June 11, calling on neighboring countries, especially the KRG, the Federal Government in Iraq and the Turkish state to provide assistance in putting out fires. The Party also called on the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration for a serious and exact investigation about this “heinous crime”, according to the statement.
The Kurdish political party also called on the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide help and assistance to the farmers and peasants affected by fires.
The Kurdish political parties’ attempts were only verbal calls, statements and appeals were one month late after the fires and their appeals kept without answers. Also, there were no serious attempts in firefighting machines requests from KRG in Iraq or any other side.
Who will heal the wounds?!
This year’s fires, which affected the crops of more than 100 villages in north and east Syria, left a scar and large damage on the crops and souls.
The late “Omar Al-Asaad” was one of those people who sacrificed his life to save the crops, there were thousands of people around him who rushed like him to put out the fires, where Abdul Aziz, his son says: “There were thousands of people, the fire was raging, its height reached more than six meters, there were five firefighting machines and 15 water reservoirs in that place.”
With this large group of people and machines, yet they couldn’t extinguish the fire that has burnt the body of Omar Al-Asaad, despite everything that happened to him, his family said: “Our father died and nobody visited us during the days of consolation, neither political parties nor the Autonomous Administration, nor all those who claim to be representing the community.”
The crucial question remains about the burning of the agricultural crops this year: When will those who set the fire to the crops be identified to the public? Who will compensate those affected people? Who will condole the victims? And who will heal the wounds?
Qamishli – North-Press
Agency
Ibrahim Ibrahimi / Abbas
Ali Moussa