SNA faction impose royalties on quake-related aid in Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – The Sultan Suleiman Shah faction, also known as ‘al-Amshat’, a militia within the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), has imposed royalties on quake victims in the Qatari Camp, located near the town of Sheikh Hadid, in western Afrin, northwest Syria, days after they received financial assistance.
A source from the camp administration, who spoke not for attribution, stated that the French NGO Acted granted a sum of $150 to each family in the camp, which houses people from the town of Jindires, as part of a program to support earthquake victims in earthquake-stricken areas, such as Jindires in Afrin, and Harem and Besnaya in Idlib.
The source added that the camp administration informed the displaced individuals of the need to pay a sum of $50 per registered family, following orders from the al-Amshat faction. If a family refuses to pay, it will be expelled from the camp and deprived of the assistance provided by NGOs.
This is not the first time the group has pressed quake victims. In March, al-Amshat demanded royalties of $50 from camp residents, after an organization distributed a sum of $150 to them.
The source pointed out that the Kuwaiti Camp, also located on the outskirts of Sheikh Hadid, suffers from the same extortion by al-Amshat.
The Qatari and Kuwaiti camps were established under Qatari sponsorship in cooperation between the Qatar Red Crescent and the Turkish Red Crescent in February, in order to house earthquake victims.