Human rights organization: Turkey continues building settlements in Syria’s Afrin
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Ibrahim Sheikho, co-chair of the Human Rights Organization – Afrin which operates from the northern countryside of Aleppo, said on Sunday that the construction of settlements in the countryside of Afrin is proceeding in a systematic and meticulous manner by various associations.
“Construction of settlements in Afrin with huge amounts of funding funneled from charities linked to Islamist terrorists around the globe, especially the Kuwaiti White Hands Association and Qatari and Palestinian Islamic charities, continues under the supervision of the Turkish authorities and the armed factions loyal to them,” Sheikho said.
The construction of the first settlement in the Yezidi village of Basufan dates back to 2018.
The Turkish-backed Syrian factions recently seized land belonging to Abdo Mesto Najjar, a resident of the village of Basuta, uprooted more than 2,000 olive and pomegranate trees, and began paving the land in preparation for the construction of a settlement that accommodates more than 3,500 apartments for widows whose husbands were killed on the fronts of Azerbaijan and Libya, according to sources in the Human Rights Organization – Afrin.
“These projects prove Turkey’s pursuit of demographic change in Afrin, as it aims to settle families of the opposition groups in Afrin to establish a permanent presence for them in the region after it has displaced its indigenous residents,” according to Sheikho.
The number of settlements has reached 19, four of them in Jindires district, three each in Shih, Sherawa, Sharran, and Bulbul districts, two in Rajo district, and one west of Afrin city.
Despite international and local reports that have spoken of widespread violations by Turkey and its radical loyal factions since its takeover of Afrin in March 2018, and Ankara’s pursuit of demographic change in a Kurdish region, these countries continue to establish settlements in the name of supporting the Syrian revolution or providing refugee relief.
“Associations resort to building their settlements along the border strip at the expense of forest areas. They bulldoze lands and uproot trees, as happened at the site of Sheikh Mohammed Mountain,” said Sheikho.
The groups also seize private property by putting pressure on landowners and forcing them to evict residents there.
Since Turkey and Turkish-backed armed opposition groups took control of Afrin and after its invasion of north Syria in March 2018, cases of murder, kidnapping, illegal logging, and building settlements in Afrin continues, according to human rights reports.
Following the Turkish invasions on Afrin, the AANES set up the al-Awdeh, Shahba, Sardam, Afrin, and Barkhwadan camps. Some of the displaced took refuge in camps, while others were distributed in 42 villages and towns in the area.