Turkey’s SNA factions cut down dozens of trees in Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Militants of the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), cut down on Sunday dozens of trees in Afrin region in northwest Syria.
Afrin Post, a local news website, reported that the SNA militants cut down more than 20 olive and fruit trees near al-Zaydiyah neighborhood in the city of Afrin. The trees are owned by Imad Hussein, a Kurdish citizen from the village of Khalnereh, north of Afrin.
Afrin has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and their affiliated 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.
On July 7, militants of the Suqour Hayyan faction cut down 70 olive trees of Jihad Mannan Habib, who is one of the original people of the Kurds of Afrin and lives in the village of Bulbul, north of Afrin city.