The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

In conjunction with the continued violations against the residents of Afrin…the factions of the “Olive Branch” carry out tens of arrests in the city’s countryside

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: factions operating within the Turkish-backed operation of “Olive Branch”, are continuing their breaches against the residents of Afrin city and its countryside in the north-western sectors of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory monitored ongoing campaigns of arrests and raids in Afrin countryside by the factions of the “Olive Branch”, where about 45 persons from Shirawa Township which is located in Afrin countryside, were arrested and taken to unknown destination, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 3rd of September 2018, that the suffering of the people of Afrin which is located in the north-west of Aleppo is increasing everyday, as neither there are houses that they can take shelter in, nor those who are in charge of protecting it, leave them alone, as the factions of the forces of the Operation “Olive Branch” led by Turkey, which are in control of the area, are still continuing their violations against the residents who remained in Afrin area, of killing, torture, imposing royalties and other violations, which pushed hundreds of people to displace after they lost hope that those who seized their houses to be restrained, where local sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that tens of families were forced to leave their houses, leave Afrin area and displace towards the SDF-held areas in the east of the Euphrates, where locals confirmed that the reasons for the displacement are the repeated arrests by more than one faction, which arrest residents and take them to detention centers where they fabricate accusations against most of them, and refuse to release them without paying a royalty that reaches in some cases to millions of Syrian Pounds.

The sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that about 1000 families are presented in the areas of Ayn Al-Arab (Kobani) and areas in the Syrian Jazeera, in the east of the Euphrates River, where they suffer from the lack of aid presented for them, and the locals disclosed their complaints via the Syrian Observatory that there is no aid presented for them, as well as the ignore of the self-administrations in these areas to their sufferings, in addition to the lack of job opportunities, and the locals directed their appeals via the SOHR to the democratic self-administrations in Ayn Al-Arab (Kobani) and Al-Jazeera, to do their duties towards the displaced people who lost everything even their money which they saved, they paid it then in return for getting out from Afrin area, at the checkpoints of the factions operating within the Operation “Olive Branch”.

Other reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the processes of imposing royalties at the checkpoints of the factions which operate within the Operation “Olive Branch”, are still continuing, where sums of money are imposed on vehicles, trucks and buses during passing in the area, especially on the road to Al-Basuta area, and the sources also confirmed that Afrin city becomes empty of any security presence, every day at midnight, in which the armed members of the factions become active, and gunfire processes take place every day, sources suggested that they are carried out as a result of thefts by groups of the factions operating in Afrin area and the city, also the sources confirmed that the members of a division operating within the Operation “Olive Branch”, looted a large warehouse in the center of Afrin city, 5 days ago, where it contained furniture of a house, electric devices and home appliances, where the warehouse was almost emptied and its contents were taken to unknown destination.

The Syrian Observatory published on the 2nd of September 2018, that it monitored that the rebel and Islamic factions operating under the banner of Operation “Olive Branch”, are continuing their violations against the citizens of Afrin city and its countryside, where residents are periodically arrested, detained and threatened to be killed in the case that their relatives do not send a ransom that reaches millions of Syrian Pounds, where they are beaten, tortured and threatened, under the pretext of “complaints filed by locals against them”, these factions also direct accusations to the citizens and beat and assault them during the questionings which are carried out in their jails and detention centers, while it rose to about 40, the number of those who were arrested in the past 48 hours in Afrin city and its countryside, by several factions operating in the area, against the backdrop of the attacks which took place in the contact lines between the controlled areas of the Operation “Olive Branch” and between the areas where the Kurdish forces are deployed in the north-western countryside of Aleppo.