Violations of the pro-Ankara factions of Ras Al-Ayn: shooting citizens .. forcing citizen to work .. seizure of cotton crops
The pro-Turkey factions are still committing gross violations that are contrary to the human rights and international charters and treaties, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed that members of the faction “Al-Hamza Division” which operates under the banner of what is known as the “Syrian National Army”, shot a civilian just for being descended from “Tartus” city, while they shot another armless citizen for being from Ras al-Ayn city (Sere Kaniye).
SOHR was informed from reliable sources, that (B. M.) who was the chief of staff of Al-Hamza Division between the 15th of April 2018 and 25th of July 2019, and who is recently the chief of staff of the 113th Brigade in the 11th Division of the 1st Corps in the national Army, had been an ISIS commander with the Emir of Homs sector between 2014 and 2017.
SOHR was informed 2 days ago, that unidentified gunmen have shot a military commander in the Turkish-backed faction of “Al-Hamza Division”, in in Bizaah town in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, which caused his death after being taken to the hospital, followed by wide deployment of members of the faction in the town against the backdrop of the killing of the commander, it is noteworthy that the killed person is the brother of Al-Hamza Division’s leader and he was known in the area for being notorious.
“The killed person used to impose royalties and was known for his authoritarianism and blackmailing citizens with direct support of his brother, many video clips were released showing him practicing Tashbih (from Shabiha; the abuse of power), in one of them, he appeared while holding a gun to a citizen in a hospital in Al-Bab city, he also assaulted the medical staff and raised his gun against a nurse, which ignited angry protests in the city that ended with arresting him, in which he had been imprisoned before being released and discharged from Al-Hamzah Division which is still under his brother’s command” sources said.
At the same time, SOHR monitored yesterday that a commander in the faction “Sultan Murad” that is affiliated to the “National Army”, forced tens of citizens from the locals of Ras Al-Ayn, to work in cotton harvesting in a farmlands he seized from Yazidi, Syriac and Kurdish families.
Reliable sources said: “the factions’ commanders forced the Mu’azzin of a mosque in (Luzi) village, to call the villages’ residents to gather in the morning to inform them that they are compelled to work in cotton harvesting in the lands the abovementioned commander seized, where he would force them to work by force of (shoes) as he described.”
“When the locals rejected, he vowed to pay for the harvesting, but they refused to do so as members of Al-Hamza Division imprisoned a number of people who worked previously in loading cotton in Al-Safah center after they requested their wages, today, most the village’s locals plan to leave towards Turkey due to these violations” the sources added.