Turkish-backed SNA faction cuts 30 olive trees in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Militants of a Turkish-backed faction of the Syrian National Army (SNA) cut a number of olive trees that are situated close to a checkpoint in Rajo region in the countryside of Afrin, northwest Syria.
Local sources in the region told North Press that militants of Sultan Murad faction cut down about 30 olive trees in the vicinity of one of their checkpoints on a route links between the village of Haj Khalil and Rajo in northwestern Afrin.
The sources added that the militants justified their practice that they wanted to expand the checkpoint, and this is the third time they cut trees near the checkpoint under the same pretext.
In May, Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (Amshat) of the SNA cut down 50 olive trees from three fields north and northwestern the village of Mestkan affiliated with Sheikh al-Hadidi, which is the division’s stronghold.
Militants of the division also cut down three long-lived nut trees, and when residents of the village expressed anger and rejection, the militants expelled them by force, threatening them with killing.
Afrin has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and their affiliated Syrian opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA) since March 2018 following 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 trees have been cut down by the SNA factions, according to press and human rights reports.