Violations in “Peace Spring” areas | Destruction and vandalism of essential service facilities… internal infighting… looting of civilians’ crops and properties
As Turkish forces and their proxy factions are still practicing their systematic violations against the residents in “Peace Spring” areas, the Syrian Observatory continues monitoring and documenting most of such violations and security chaos, most prominent which are the following:
- Civilians’ deprivation of essential service and utilities
Syrian Observatory sources have confirmed that Turkish forces deliberately shut down on more than 25 occasions “Allouk water purification station” which supplies Al-Hasakah city and surrounding areas with drinking water. It is worth noting that Al-Hasakah city and countryside have seen public anger rise over the water cut-offs, after the Turks suspended the pumping of water to Allouk station since the beginning of August, under the pretext of maintenance.
The Autonomous Administration had refused the Turkish forces’ request of increasing the capacity and volume of electricity supply to the “Peace Spring” areas, so the Turks retaliated by cutting off drinking water supplies completely. Similarly, SDF cut off the power line that supplies Ras al-Ain city and countryside, controlled by Turkish forces and proxy factions, in response to the water cut-off in SDF-controlled areas.
On August 22, reliable sources informed SOHR that only 16 out of 30 wells in Allouk station would be put in service. Meanwhile, residents of Al-Hasakah were awaiting the return of water just after the water was re-pumped.
- Clashes and infighting among Turkish-backed factions
On August 20, Observatory sources reported clashes in Ras al-Ain city (Seri Kani) among Turkish-backed factions, following a dispute over the appointment of the director of the Ras al-Ain border crossing. The clashes took place between factions of “Shield of Hasakeh” and al-Muwali clan backed by “al-Hamza division”, leaving three people dead and five others wounded on both sides. On the other hand, Turkish forces appointed a new commander of the military police in Ras al-Ain (Seri Kanie) with the purpose of controlling the escalating security chaos in the city. The local council of Ras al-Ain city had suspended its work in the city that day, protesting the appointment of a new director of the border crossing, who was not of a local.
- Popular demonstrations and protests
The city and countryside of Ras al-Ain witnessed public anger and discontent due to the attempts by Turkish forces and their proxies to exclude the locals from the administration of their areas. This popular anger followed the appointment of “Ahmed Bulat” from the city of Bazza’a in the northern countryside of Aleppo, with the support of his brother the leader of the Turkish-backed “al-Hamza division”, as the director of the Ras Al Ain commercial crossing. According to Observatory sources, four candidates with university qualifications from Ras al-Ain and countryside applied for the crossing administration’s position, but they were all rejected.
On August 17, Syrian Observatory activists monitored tens of people demonstrating at the border crossing with Turkey in Ras Al-Ain city (Sere Kaniye), which is under the control of “Peace Spring” factions in the north countryside of Al-Hasakah. The demonstrators called upon Turkey to interfere and put an end to the Turkish-backed factions’ violations. While on August 21, Observatory activists monitored tens of residents from the Turkish-controlled city of Ras Al-Ain (Sere Kaniye) in northern Al-Hasakah, participating in a vigil at the crossing on Turkey border. The protesters called for supplying the area with water and electricity, and demanded the discharge the official responsible for the crossing and appointment of a local instead.
- Forcible closure of shops
On August 22, gunmen of the Turkish-backed “Al-Hamzat Division” forced several people to close their shops in Ras Al-Ain city (Sere Kaniye), after the division’s members distributed leaflets calling for staging a protest against the city’s local council. Moreover, gunmen of “Al-Hamzat Division” assaulted and brutally beat a civilian as he refused to close his shop. “Al-Hamzat Division” was attempting to force the people of Ras Al-Ain to demonstrate against the city’s civil council for “rejecting the appointment of the brother of Al-Hamzat Division’s leader as the director of the border crossing with Turkey”.
On the other hand, the Turkish-controlled village of Masbagha in Ras Al-Ain countryside (Seri Kanier) in the “Peace Spring” areas experienced growing tension between residents and the Turkish-backed military police.
- Storming residential houses and assaulting civilians
On August 23, SOHR sources said that members of the Turkish-backed military police stormed a civilian house in Tal Abyad city in “Peace Spring” areas in northern Al-Raqqah, in which they beat a woman from the city. It is worth noting that during the protests which took place in Masbagha village on August 21, members of the military police stormed civilian houses in the village under the pretext of “hiding suspicious individuals by these houses’ owners”.
- Looting of civilians’ crops and properties
Turkish-backed factions continued stealing and exporting wheat from the “Peace Spring” areas to Turkey under the pretext of purchasing it by the Turkish Grain Corporation in Turkish lira, via Tel Abyad border crossing with Turkey. Dozens of trucks with thousands of tons of wheat were seen parked near the crossing, awaiting permission to cross into Turkey. The local councils in Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain had set the price of wheat at 1,300 Turkish liras per ton.
SOHR sources in “Peace Spring” areas in Ras al-Ain countryside, said earlier in June that Turkish-backed factions seized the people’s agricultural crops in “Peace Spring” areas in Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad countryside.
On August 18, SOHR activists said that residents of Debs village in the “Peace Spring” area in the western countryside of Tel Tamer, prevented a group of thieves affiliated to the military police and Turkish-backed factions from stealing properties belonging to the village’s people. Meanwhile, military police and Turkish-backed factions brought in reinforcement to the village and arrested several residents for “their resistance”.
- Looting of power grid cables
On August 14, reliable SOHR sources confirmed that Turkish-backed factions stole power grid cables in the “Peace Spring” areas, to be recycled and melted into aluminum and copper alloys, then sold in Turkey. Moreover, a group of Ahrar al-Sharqiya prevented Sultan Murad Division on August 11 from entering trucks loaded with alloys into Turkey, due to a dispute between these factions over revenue-sharing of those stolen objects.
Several villages in “Peace Spring” areas in Al-Hasakah countryside, including Shallah, Thyabiya and Rayhania, experienced internal infighting among Turkish-backed factions, after dispute over the distribution of revenue-sharing of properties stolen from civilians’ houses.
Turkish-backed factions had opened workshops for recycling plastics and manufacturing agricultural pipes, since the materials for these industries have been available. Large quantities of irrigation pipes were stolen from agriculture’s projects in Ras al-Ain countryside (Sari Kanier), Tal Tamer and Abu Rasine.
Turkish forces aim to drain, deplete or seize the resources of areas under their control in Syria, “Peace Spring” areas, which serves Turkey’s immediate interests, as the Turkish government follows a “scorched earth” policy disregarding the bare minimum of humanity and ethics when it comes to the welfare of the Syrian people.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has been all along warning against the Turkish invasion into Syria and the Turkish occupation forces’ violence and atrocities committed daily against the Syrian people. However, all of SOHR appeals and warnings remain unheard and unheeded.