IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Nasr al-Turkmani, a pseudonym, has worked as a wood trader in Latakia’s northern countryside on Syria’s coast for three years.
He has been transferring what he is logging to the markets in Idlib city, which is held by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front), but first, he has to give a share of the profits to HTS militants.
Al-Turkmani cuts pine trees among others in the Turkmen Mountain and Jabal al-Akrad areas north of Latakia,which areunder the control of HTS.
In 2016, the Syrian government forces launched military operations and could re-capture areas held by the opposition factions.
Only the Turkmen Mountain and Jabal al-Akrad areasremained under the control of the armed factions, notably the Turkistan Islamic Party, but now they are held by HTS.
The HTS monopolized the main economic sectors in the area like fuel, industry, the Internet and electricity. Lately, it has gone far to control the process of logging and selling wood by forcing wood traders to pay a portion of the profits.
The dire economic conditions and losing job by the state five years ago prompted al-Turkmani to search for a new income which is logging; a new craft that could at least ensure a sustainable “weekly” income for him and his family, as he said.
Few people who work in logging are from the area. They are content with logging that could only sustain their families, specially that some swaths have become semi-cleared from trees.
A dividend
Al-Turkmani pointed out that the HTS compels the “small” traders to sell the wood they have logged to other traders who obtained authorization by HTS on allegations to prevent entry of green wood.
By this, the HTS takes a portion of the profits.
Somar al-Kamel, a pseudonym for another wood trader who comes from Jisr al-Shughur, said the HTS imposes a tax, which may amount to $15, on every truck carrying wood that enter Idlib city.
Accordingly, al-Kamel’s profits decreased to the half. “The HTS-run wood centers and traders do not buy our wood for a good bargain”.
The HTS expelled Muslim al-Shishani and Abu Fatima al-Turki jihadist groups from Latakia countryside, then controlled the transfer of goods in the region, al-Kamel said.
Al-Kamel pointed that the Turkistan Islamic Party imposes taxes (royalties) on people alleging they cut trees without coordination with their leadership.
Barren lands
The people are concerned the areas turn to barren lands due to random logging amid absence of control and regulators of logging.
It is true that some people used to cut trees to use them for heating in winter, yet it was not like this way. The local farmers are aware of the size of the disaster in case the lands are cleared from trees.
Ahmad al-Sahli, an activist from the area, said the HTS gave permission to hundreds of people and traders from Hama and Idlib countryside to log in the areas of Turkmen Mountain and Jabal al-Akrad. Accordingly, large areas have become barren.
“The forest here used to contain amounts of wood sufficient for the local people for more than 25 years to come. Now, it is all different. During the last two years, tens of tons of wood are daily transferred to Idlib,” al-Sahli told North Press.
Some people even started to cut trees left in areas near to those held by the Syrian government forces, al-Sahli noted.