The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Armed clashes between factions loyal to Turkey in Afrin city leaves casualties and injuries in their ranks

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory monitored on Monday evening violent clashes between the Turkey-loyal military police and “Jaysh al-Sharqiyyah” faction of the “Olive Branch” operation in Afrin city in Aleppo countryside, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory: the armed clashes killed at least one person of Jaysh al-Sharqiyyah, while at least 6 others of both parties were injured, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 5th of July 2019 that the Syrian Observatory monitoring new violations carried out by a Turkey-backed faction of “Olive Branch” in Afrin city and its countryside northwest of Aleppo, where members of the Sultan Murad faction stole Kurdish citizens’ property in Halubi al-Saghir of Sharan Township in Afrin countryside after the Turkish point withdrew from the village yesterday, where members of the faction robbed several houses and shops in the village, and the Syrian Observatory published yesterday that in the light of the continued violations against the Kurdish citizens by the pro-Turkey factions which operate within the operations “Olive Branch” and “Euphrates Shield” in Afrin city and its countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the “Military Police” that is loyal to Turkey, have carried out raids and arrests targeting Kurdish citizens from Zaytunak village of Sharran Township in Afrin countryside, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; about 9 citizens from Zaytunak village of Sharran Township in Afrin countryside, were arrested few days ago on charge of belonging earlier to Autonomous Administration, local sources confirmed to the SOHR that the Turkish-backed Military Police asked the relatives of the detainees to pay a ransom of 150000 SYL each, in return for releasing them, and the SOHR published on the 3rd of July 2019, that the factions of “Olive Branch” and “Euphrates Shield” operations continue to practice the most horrible violations against the Kurdish citizens of Afrin city and countryside, and in this context the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of a Kurdish citizen under torture in prisons of the Turkey-backed factions, about one year after his arrest in Badino village in Raju Township of Afrin countryside, the sources told the Syrian Observatory that the pro-Turkish factions refused to hand over his body to his relatives.

The Syrian Observatory published on the 24th of June 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the finding of a body of a citizen from Jendires city in the countryside of Afrin city, with marks of torture and scorches on it, where the body was found near Qastal Jendo village in Sharran Township in the northern countryside of Afrin, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the citizen was kidnapped by gunmen in Azaz city on the 13th of June 2019, where the kidnappers asked his family at that time, for paying a ransom in return for setting him free, but his body was found today dumped in the orchards of Qastal Jendo village after about 10 days, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 23rd of May 2019, that violations of the pro-Turkey factions are still continuing against the residents of Afrin city and its countryside, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of a citizen from Sharran Township in the countryside of Afrin city in the north-western countryside of Aleppo, by gunmen from Azaz city about 2 weeks after he was kidnapped with his 11-year-old son as well as another citizen, and the body of the citizen was found dead with marks of torture on it in the area between the villages of Qastal Jendo and Arab Wayran in Sharran Township in Afrin countryside, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; they were kidnapped by an armed group in Azaz city on the 13th of May 2019, and the kidnappers asked for a ransom amounting to 100000 US dollars each in return for releasing them, and this incident comes days after the armed group threatened to kill the kidnapped persons and hang their heads in the roundabout of Azaz city in the northern countryside of Aleppo, in the case that their relatives refused to pay the ransom, and the killed person was with his son and the other man in Azaz city for the purpose of trading and buying some items.

And the SOHR published on the 22nd of June 2019, that the security operations which were carried out by factions of “Olive branch” in several villages in Afrin city’s countryside in the past 48 hours, caused the arrest of about 31 people mostly of the Kurdish citizens, where the arrests took place in the villages of Kafr Zayt, Kafr Dalla Tahtani, Talaf, and Kazih in Afrin countryside on various charges and pretexts, like “cases of abduction, robbery, and collaborating with the former self-administration,” and they were taken to an unknown destination, amid fears for their lives, in addition to the robberies carried out during this raid operation, where 2038 citizens were arrested of Afrin’s people including more than 2800 people who are still in detention, since the Turkish control over the are completely on the 19th of March 2018, while the rest were released after most of them paid ransom imposed by members of the “Olive Branch” Operation, sometimes it reached more than 10 million Syrian pounds, where the Syrian Observatory monitored more than once that the factions send audio or video clips to families of the abducted people, and impose money without bargaining, along with threats of liquidating their relatives if the desired amount of money was not paid, also the factions who were given authority by Turkey in the area -after international silence that has given power to Turkey in Afrin- carried out arrests against both genders, men and women, after these factions turned the kidnappings and ransom on charges the most prominent of which are “belonging to the Kurdish Forces and communicating and working for them”, where kidnapping for a ransom has become a popular trade adopted by most factions, in an attempt to collect the largest possible amount of money, and to clamp down on the remaining population in the region, and the SOHR monitored that the factions have transferred abductees to detention and custody centers made up of civilian homes that were seized and turned by them into headquarters for the pro-Turkey factions, which share influence and property in Afrin, and from time to time carry out looting and confiscation of property and funds.