Armed opposition arrested 20 persons from Yezidi village in Syria’s Afrin
ALEPPO NORTHERN COUNTRYSIDE – Syria (North Press) – The Turkish-backed armed opposition groups arrested 20 persons from a Yezidi village in the Turkish-occupied region of Afrin, northwest Syria, and beat women and old men because they refused to leave their village and rejected a mosque to be built there, local sources stated.
The armed opposition groups broke into the Yezidi village of Basofan, southern Afrin, on Tuesday and beat its residents, a source from the village who preferred not to be named told North Press.
Opposition groups started building a mosque in the Yezidi village, while the residents refused that pushing the groups to arrest more than 20 people, the source said in a phone call with north Press.
The armed opposition intends to demolish the school of the village and build a mosque instead in order to settle people from other areas.
The armed opposition intends to erase everything related to the Yezidi religion in the city of Afrin, the source pointed out.
The armed opposition groups released two sick old men, while the fate of the others remained unknown, according to the source.
The entrances of the village are closed and people have not been allowed to exit from the village since two days, the source added.
Local councils affiliated with Turkish authorities distributed lands to families of Syrian opposition militants near the Yezidi village of Bafloun in Afrin’s Sharran district.
Settlers, who came to Afrin from different parts of Syria, started building houses near Bafloun Mountain, media close to the opposition reported.
“Turkish-backed local councils distributed lands to about 70 families,” Ibrahim Sheikho, co-chair of the Human Rights Organization in Afrin, earlier told North Press.
The city of Afrin was ruled by the Autonomous Administration before Turkish forces and its backed armed opposition groups took control over it after the military invasion in 2018, since then the city has been experiencing security chaos and violations.