Turkey builds new settlement for SNA militants in northwest Syria
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Turkey has recently completed the establishment of a new settlement in Afrin region, northwest Syria, bringing the total number of the settlements it built in the area to 26.
Since 2018, Turkey has built settlements in Afrin and other areas it occupies in north and northwest Syria to house the families of the militants of its affiliated armed opposition factions, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA).
An exclusive source told North Press that the Turkey-based Ahl al-Ber Association funded by Palestinian organizations has completed the building of 50 apartments in the town of Sharran, some 15 km to the east of the city of Afrin in Aleppo northern countryside.
The Kurdish city of Afrin has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions 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.
The source said that the settlement was built next to another one in the same area that was built a year ago, and the number of the apartments has reached 150.
Early in July, the Turkish Beyaz Eller (White Hands) Association completed the construction of three new settlements near the village of Sheikh al-Deir (Shadereh), about 18 km in the south of Afrin.
In June, the Turkey-based International Association for Relief and Development (ONSUR), with support from Palestinian organizations, completed the construction of al-Amal 2 settlement in Jabal al-Ahlam area in southeastern Afrin within a complex of five settlements.
Turkey has built 26 settlements in Afrin, northwest Syria, through using organizations like Living with Dignity Association, White Hands (Beyaz Eller), Rahma International Society, ONSUR, IHH, and others which are funded by Qatar and Kuwait, Turkey, and Palestinian organizations.
Human rights activists say they are part of a Turkish “ethnic engineering” policy in the region. Most are funded by Turkish, Qatari, Kuwaiti, or Palestinian organizations with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 1.535 Palestinian families living in Syria have been resettled to Afrin.