SNA Faction Cuts Down 300 Trees in Afrin to set up Tents for Militants
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, Jaysh al-Sharqiya (Army of Lions) militants, a faction of the Syrian National Army (SNA) affiliated with Turkey, cut down 300 olive trees in the town of Jindires in Afrin countryside, northwestern Syria, to set up tents for settlers and its members.
An exclusive source told North Press that the faction cut down trees to establish a settlement and set up tents for settlers and its members in the village of Sindiyanke.
On Feb. 13, members of the Jaysh al-Sharqiya and other SNA factions chopped trees in Kafira village in Jindires town to sell as firewood to homeless people affected by the earthquake, exploiting the needs of the earthquake-affected people, according to the source.
Jindires, in the Afrin region, is among the worst earthquake-affected areas in Syria, with 513 dead and 831 injured. Over 200 buildings have completely collapsed and around 500 have been partially damaged.
Afrin, including Jindires, has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and the SNA factions since March 2018 following the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation against 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 olive trees have been cut down by the SNA factions, according to press and human rights reports.