The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Afrin… 25 days of displacement… ongoing violations and renewed arrests… targeting by “Olive Branch” Forces

25 consecutive days passed and the tragedy of the displaced people is escalating, amid absence of the humanity of the International Community and the relief organizations which ignore the cries of those who called for their help, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has continuously monitored this tragedy since it was started and until now, where it monitored the suffering of thousands of citizens who left all of their property to escape from death, as the Turkish shelling and the advancement of the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation which is composed of the Turkish-led Syrian opposition factions, forced hundreds of thousands of citizens to flee from their villages, farms and houses, and head towards the northern countryside of Aleppo, where thousands of families headed towards Nubl and Al-Zahraa towns, while the rest of families headed towards the SDF-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and dwelled in these villages and towns and in camps that were set up by the displaced people themselves, after the relief and humanitarian organizations had ignored them, and after the regime forces had closed the way to Aleppo, while the ways were open to smugglers to transfer citizens towards Aleppo city, in return for large sums of money which exceeded 1000 $ for a single person.

These situations of the displaced people of Afrin, are coincided with the continuation of harassment and violations against the citizens remained in Afrin area, which Turkey controlled on the 18th of March 2018, where reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the Turkish forces and the factions of Operation “Olive Branch”, are carrying out more arrests against the citizens, where they take them to detention centers on various charges related to the period of the YPG control on the area, amid renewed looting accompanied by arrests and raids on the citizens’ houses under the pretext of searching for wanted persons, and this situation is coincided with the continuation of groups of the YPG to carry out operations targeting the Turkish forces and the factions in Afrin area, by missiles through which they tend to destroy vehicles or target positions, leaving every time more human losses in the ranks of the both parties, raising to at least 1511, the number of fighters at least of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed since Operation “Olive Branch” started, while 562 members and fighters of the Turkish forces and the factions including 80 soldiers of the Turkish forces, were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin area, and 91 members at least of regime forces’ NDF were killed in the Turkish shelling since they started to enter on the 20th of February 2018.

It is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published in the past few days, that tens of people displaced from Afrin asserted to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the aid provided to them was shy and too little and did not amount to the level of the tragedy, where the aid of the Red Crescent was provided in batches, and the medical services were also provided, but they was not enough except for a group of the displaced people, while there are thousands of citizens still staying in the open as a result of the lack of the tents, after the towns of Nubl and Al-Zahraa and the villages and towns in the northern countryside of Aleppo became crowded with the people displaced from Afrin, many of whom have found it difficult to rent a house because of doubling the rents of the houses, and the continuation of the regime forces to prevent citizens displaced from Afrin, of who try to displace to Aleppo city, to reach it, increased these tragic humanitarian situations, where several reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the checkpoints of the regime forces are continuing to impose fees on the citizens desire to reach Aleppo city, where about 1000$ is imposed for each single person, while others are helped to escape in different ways through the regime’s checkpoints inside Aleppo city, in return for large sums of money, where the residents complained to the SOHR about these situations, and the ongoing prevention of the regime’s checkpoints to reach Aleppo city despite the tragic humanitarian situation in the northern countryside of Aleppo, which is crowded with thousands of people displaced from Afrin city and its villages, and the tragic reality in the north of Aleppo, is similar to the tragic humanitarian situations of those who stayed in Afrin area, within the areas controlled by the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions operating in Operation “Olive Branch”, where citizens confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that these forces tend to continue their thefts and looting to every thing they would find in the citizens’ houses and public institutions and facilities, and the citizens asserted that their mobile phones, cars, tractors, motorbikes and electronic sets and equipment were looted, and reliable sources said that their houses were looted of all their contents of equipment, machineries and supplies, and the citizens also asserted that the humanitarian aid was organizationally distributed in front of the media in the cameras, while behind the cameras and in the scattered and remote villages in Afrin countryside, these humanitarian aid was sold at high prices to merchants and shop owners, who also tended to sell them for the citizens at double prices of those which the foodstuff was purchased at, and the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation are continuing to interrupt electricity and water to the most of Afrin area, and sources confirmed that displacement of citizens from Afrin countryside to the city was documented, where sums of money were imposed on those entered Afrin city by the checkpoints deployed on the roads between Afrin countryside and the city, in addition to arrests against tens of citizens who stayed in the area, and they were transported to detention centers after being subjected to insults and humiliation.