Turkish-backed SNA faction fells 65 olive trees in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Sham Legion, a faction affiliated with Turkish-backed armed opposition faction, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), felled on Wednesday 65 olive trees owned by original inhabitants of Afrin region, northwestern Syria.
A local source told North Press that the felled trees located between the villages of al-Ghazawiya and Be’yah, in Sherawa district in Afrin countryside.
The owners of the trees, Asa’d Hassan and Khali Jamo, hail from the city of Afrin, according to the source.
The felled trees were transported to headquarters of the legion in Afrin to be sold as firewood in local markets later on, the source pointed out.
Since the beginning of 2023, Turkish-backed factions have cut down 1.114 trees in Afrin, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.
On Jan. 20, 2018, the Turkish forces and the SNA launched the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting “Turkish national security.”
The operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.
After the occupation of Afrin thousands of olive trees have been cut down by Turkish-backed SNA factions, according to press and human rights reports.