SNA imposes royalties on farmers for well drilling in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat), affiliated with the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), imposed on Monday $1000 royalties in exchange for digging a well for irrigating agricultural lands in the countryside of Afrin, northwest Syria.
An administrator in the local council of Mabata town, affiliated with the SNA, in Afrin countryside said that the al-Amshat Divison imposed royalties of $1000 on farmers in exchange for digging a well in Sheikh Hadid, Jindires, and Mabata.
In August 2023, the US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on leaders within the al-Amshat and Hamza Division over human rights violations in Afrin.
Farmers in the Afrin region are facing a dire agricultural situation due to a scarcity of irrigation water. This situation arose after confiscating the water from Lake Maydanki and redirected it to the Reyhaniyah Dam by the SNA factions. Additionally, water pumps were installed along the Afrin River. Consequently, the farmers’ water allocation has significantly decreased, according to the same source.
The source further mentioned that many farmers are reluctant to file complaints with the authorities out of fear of reprisal from what they refer to as the “Shabiha of al-Amshat.” Consequently, several farmers have halted the well-digging process as they are unable to afford the tribute, not to mention the costs of digging the well.
Human Rights Organization-Afrin posted on its Facebook page that the al-Amshat held a meeting with residents of Sheikh Hadid in early September and informed them that royalties of $9 would be imposed on each olive tree in the upcoming harvest.
Afrin has been under the occupation of Turkey and the SNA factions since 2018 following a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch” against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of preserving Turkey’s 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.