The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The Ministry of Defense in the Interim Government supervises the formation of a military court in Ras Al-Ayn after a series of violations by the Turkey-loyal factions

After a series of violations committed by the members of the pro-Turkey factions, the Ministry of Defense in the Interim Government supervised the formation of a military court in Ras Al-Ayn to control the areas over which they imposed their influence during the operation “Peace Spring”.

On Oct. 13, the Ministry of Defense in the Syrian Interim Government formed a follow-up commission for pursuing the perpetrators of violations, headed by the deputy of the minister of defense, and promised to deploy the “Military Police of the “National Army” in the areas they took control during “Peace Spring” to help in pursuing the perpetrators of actions of looting, thefts and other violations.

Sources informed SOHR that the follow-up commission’s goal is to protect the citizens and their property from the individual practices, held the perpetrators of violations accountable according to the Syrian Law, and completely comply with Geneva Conventions of 1949, the international humanitarian law and the relevant conventions.

SOHR published on 3rd of November, that it learned that the participant faction in the Operation “Peace Spring”, al-Mu’tasim Division, commited a number of vilations in Ras Al-Ayn city in the countryside of Al-Hasakah.

Sources of SOHR said that members of al-Mu’tasim Division confiscate civilian houses and the word “booked” was written on the gates of the houses as a sign to the rest factions in order not to be clashed over revenue-sharing.

That was a the same did by Al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah, which empted citizens’ houses and stole their property in Tal Abyad as well as houses owned by Armenian and Christian families, were the words “Taken by “al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah” have been written on these houses.

It included houses in Al-Shalal neighborhood in Tal Abyad center owned by a man called Abu Anty, and in Al-Arman neighborhood likes the houses of Alexan, Pankin and others.

Afrin city and its countryside have still been witnessing such styles by the factions there.

On the 2nd November 2019, SOHR published that in an audio recording obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a member of a pro-Turkey faction talks about the accusations against the Turkey-loyal factions that they have been robbing and looting houses of citizens in the areas under their control, saying: “We are talking about an army that calls itself (patriotic) but it is far from patriotism, and before that it used to be called the Free Army and it is far from being (free), we are talking about a battle, so the Minister of Defense should have spoken with the Turkish ally to clarify some points, among them the prisoners of battle, who must be prisoners of the Free Army and the ally is not allowed to interfere with them, but this way it is like a mercenary who only fights and does not have the right to talk, there are two types of mercenaries, a mercenary fights for money and a mercenary who fights for in exchange of robbing his family, this is the stage of vileness, a mercenary whose job is to steal homes of his family and which its calls spoils. No worse than this shall come in the history of mercenary in the whole world. This is not only on the Minister of Defense, but also on the faction leaders, because instead of being clear they only kept talking about their potential and wrote reports against each other, and there are people who were martyred of the factions against which they have written reports, the issue is with the faction leaders, the minister of defense, and the prime minister.”