After 5 weeks of controlling Afrin area… the forces of the “Olive Branch” continue to rob and loot the citizens and their properties as well as arresting and releasing them for sums of money
Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: although 35 days passed of the control of the Turkish forces and the Syrian rebel and Islamic opposition factions on Afrin area, in the north-western countryside of Aleppo, the thefts and looting are still continuing by the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation against the citizens remaining in Afrin area, and to the property of the people displaced from the area towards the northern countryside of Aleppo as a result of the intensive shelling and military operations during which the forces of the operation managed to take the control of the entire area of Afrin on the 18th of March 2018, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from a number of reliable sources that the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation have expelled a number of families from their houses in Sharra Township, where about 10 families were expelled from the village under the pretext of belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Democratic Union Party and the Kurdish forces, amid resentment of the remaining locals to these outrages carried out against them by the Turkish forces and the factions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that more young men and men in Afrin area were arrested, as well as torturing citizens, directing fabricated charges to them, beating and detaining them, and then they are released for large sums of money, the latest incident was what local sources confirmed about to the SOHR, that the factions arrested a young man and tortured him, and he was released only after he paid about 700 thousand Syrian Pound, accusing him of belonging to the Kurdish forces and dealing with them, while the SOHR monitored thefts and looting to vehicles, shops and cars by fighters of the factions in Afrin area, amid the continued raids and thefts in Afrin city and its villages, and the continuation of the outrages and arrests by the forces that control the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored since the Turkish forces and the Syrian rebel and Islamic factions operating with them within Operation “Olive Branch” imposed their control over the entire area of Afrin on the 18th of March 2018, arrests against more than 80 persons, including tens whose destiny is still unknown, after they were taken to detention and investigation centers in Afrin area, where sources informed the Syrian Observatory that after looting most of the area of Afrin by the Turkish forces and their allied factions operating within Operation “Olive Branch”, the arrests turned into popular trade by the factions, where arrests are being carried out against citizens who have joined the compulsory military service in the ranks of the Kurdish forces, then they ask for great sums of money reach millions of Syrian pounds to release them, while the sources confirmed that killing was carried out against citizens in Afrin area, last of which was the death of a young man who sources said that he suffered mental disorders, under the pretext of “belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party”, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the Turkish authorities and their allied the Syrian opposition factions, for about 2 weeks, to prevent civilians of Afrin area’s people from returning to their homes in Afrin area, where hundreds of families have been waiting at Kimar Checkpoint in the open, where they have been prevented without reasons, also hundreds of families who wish to return from regime forces’ controlled areas in the northern countryside are being prevented from returning to their village in Afrin area, in conjunction with the continued prevention by regime checkpoints for civilians to reach Aleppo city, despite the continued smuggling of civilians through the checkpoints in exchange for large sums of money, which are paid to the smugglers and checkpoints regime in order to get them to Aleppo city, all of this happen amid catastrophic situations in the area to which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced to in the northern countryside of Aleppo, due to the ignore of relief and humanitarian organizations for the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the shortages of medicines, treatment, baby milk and supplies, also there are pregnant women who need care along with other people with medical and health conditions that degraded day after day, due to the scarcity and great shortage of humanitarian assistance, while local sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the Turkish-led “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, are still looting citizens’ property, opening houses –of which their owners have left-, seizing the houses in live in them, in conjunction with the continued arrests of citizens who remain in Afrin area, and the people are suffering the continued harassment of the “Olive Branch” Operating factions and the Turkish forces stationed in the area, amid demands for the intervention of effective parties and international and humanitarian organizations, to stop these frequent violations in the area every day.