QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) released a report on Tuesday which thoroughly sheds light on the construction of settlements in Afrin region, northern Syria, by NGOs and armed factions affiliated with Turkey to settle the families of the militants of the Turkish-backed armed factions.
Following the occupation of Afrin in 2018 by Turkish forces and the affiliated armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA), hundreds of trees in the area were cut down, where vast spaces of forests were replaced by building settlements.
Samarkand Brigade, a Turkish-backed faction in Afrin, is widely notorious for its crimes against locals. Abduction, murder and extortion are among crimes committed by militants of the faction. It participated in the “Olive Branch”, the Turkish military operation that resulted in the occupation of Afrin in 2018.
Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been involved, along with Samarkand Brigade, in the project of building settlements in Afrin since May 2020.
In return for free movement and logistical facilities, those NGOs have given 16% of the houses to the militants of Samarkand; most of them are from Idlib in northwest Syria.
The project, according to the STJ, is run by Ihsan for Relief and Development organization, a program in the Syrian Forum. The Syrian Forum defines itself as a non-profit organization, registered in Turkey, with partnerships in Austria and the United States of America (USA). It was established in 2011 and contains five programs.
Also, the project is supported by al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation, which was licensed in Turkey in 2014, and supervised by the Kuwaiti Rahma International Society which is publicized by Ministry of Social Affairs to offer its services to the needy inside and outside the State of Kuwait, the STJ said.
Previously, the two foundations played key roles in building a settlement on an area locally known as Jabal al-Ahlam on Mount Kurds, a mountain south of the city of Afrin.
Other prominent actors in the project are the Afrin City Local Council (ACLC) and the Turkish ruler of Hatay, formerly Sanjak of Alexandretta which was annexed to Turkey in 1939, and Rahmi Dogan who directly runs Afrin Council.
Satellite images show how dramatically the scenery seem to have been changed before and after the trees were removed.
The alleged goal of the project is to build 247 permanent houses for the families of the militants of the armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA).
“Ihsan for Relief and Developments cut down and distributed trees to a number of families benefiting from its relief programs in the region,” a worker, taking part in the project, was quoted as saying.
The so-called “al-Amal” settlement which is located in a space in Kafr Safra village, locally known as Chiyaye Shewiti, covers an area ranges between 40.000 and 50.000 m² approximately. The land is owned by the Syrian State and not a sole proprietorship.
The settlement includes a school, a nursery, a mosque, an institute for memorizing the Qur’an, a clinic, small gardens, and several shops, as well as a water well and paving and gravel roads, according to the STJ.
According to a source, it is Ihsan organization that chooses people to be settled in the village adding some 60 people have already been settled in the village.
On its official Facebook account, Ihsan announced, in September 2021, that 247 units were nearly completed.
A number of families from Aleppo and Idlib were transferred to the village.
In May 2020 North Press obtained footage of the al-Amal (Hope) Village made up of 300 units as construction was still underway.