Turkish-backed factions continue cutting down trees in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), cut down on Saturday 15 olive trees for a resident of Afrin region in the north of Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria.
A local source told North Press that Muhammad al-Fateh faction cut down 15 trees belong to Muhyiddin Sheikh from the village of Sheikh in Rajo district in the northwestern countryside of Afrin.
The source added that the militants collected the olive wood to sell them as firewood on local markets.
The SNA factions cut down on Jan.8, about 87 olive trees for residents of Afrin region.
This brings the total number of trees that were cut down by Turkish-backed factions since the beginning of 2023 to 102.
In January 2018, the Turkish forces and their SNA factions launched Olive Branch military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting the “Turkish national security”.
The operation resulted in the occupation of the Kurdish city of Afrin along with its countryside and the displacement of more than 300.000 of the original people.
After the occupation of Afrin thousands of olive trees have been cut down by Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, according to press and human rights reports.