Turkey and affiliated armed groups loot archeological sites and cut down trees in Afrin

North-Press Agency

The Turkish forces and their armed opposition groups continue to plunder the natural resources of Afrin region from the archaeological sites in the hills and valleys of the region and the agricultural and forestry wealth therein, then transferring them into Turkey.

As special sources reported to North-Press that huge machineries of the Turkish forces started digging in the village of Tal-Aranda of Shih district in Afrin region in search for antiquities, in order to steal it and distort the history of the region by distorting the evidence in line with its interests.

Other sources also confirmed to North-Press that the Turkish forces uprooted 180 olive trees in the outskirts of Bourj al-Etisalat in the village of Qarah-Tabbah in eastern Afrin countryside, in order to expand its military base there.

The sources added that the Turkish forces has uprooted 120 olive trees from the same site earlier, but recently they have completed their operation for the rest of the trees in the field belonging to the Kurdish citizen Hannan Mukhtar, bringing the total number of the uprooted trees to 300 fruitful trees.

Members of the armed group, Sham Legion, who control the village of Dekiya of Bulbul district, have cut down 20 olive trees completely in the field located at the junction of the village of Qasem on the side of the village of Sheikh of Rajo district, which belongs to the Kurdish citizen Hussein Habash from the people of Dekiya.

Moreover, the Human Rights Organization in Afrin stated that about 30 people from Rajo protested in front of the military headquarters of the district on the 20th of this month, demanding the stop of the Turkish operation of cutting trees. This  followed the protest by about 100 men and women in Bulbul district on the 12th of this month, in front of the military base in the district center, demanding that those who cut down the trees be held accountable.