SOHR Exclusive | Artifacts and narcotics trafficking and looting of millions of US dollars among grand corruption cases in Manbij
The are of Manbij in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, which is under the control of SDF-backed “Manbij Military Council” experiences growing popular discontent over the escalating corruption in the region, as it is the case across the entire Syrian geography. In this report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based on reports obtained from reliable sources in the region, tries to shed light on several corruption files in Manbij.
The first file to be revealed is the escape of the “financial official” in Manbij, called Nedal, to regime-controlled areas a few days ago, after he looted nearly three million USD. Nedal is from Ain Al-Arab (Kobani) and he has been involved in grand corruption files, which led him to steal this large sum of money and escape to regime-held areas after he had settled his situation with regime authorities.
The second file is related to ISIS prisoners in the prisons of the Autonomous Administration and Syria Democratic Forces, as “brokers” pay large sums of money to officials in Manbij in return for releasing ISIS members followed by press releases on “false” mediation and guarantees. SOHR sources have confirmed that these brokers receive an estimated 20,000 USD in return for the release of each ISIS member, as 15,000 USD are paid to the officials while a broker takes the remaining 5,000 USD.
On the other hand, members of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) are involved in grand corruption cases, the most prominent figure of whom is an official of Asayish Forces from Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani), called Jwan, who is known for selling and trafficking in confiscated objects, since artifacts and narcotics are confiscated and preserved in warehouses after security services arrest gangs dealing in them.
According to SOHR sources, the Asayish official received some 100,000 USD in a sale of artifacts which had been confiscated earlier in Manbij. Further more, the same official released a cell of 25 persons affiliated to the pro-regime “Syrian Nationalist Party” in return for a large sum of money, after the “General Security” had arrested the cell in Tal Hawazan village in Manbij countryside.
Meanwhile, reliable sources have informed SOHR that a military official arrested nearly 13 women of ISIS families of Russian, Iraqi and other nationalities, while they were attempting to escape to areas under the control of Turkish-backed factions in Jarabulus a few months ago when he delivered the women to the “General Security” in Manbij. However, officials in the “General Security” held the women for only one day, and then they helped them to escape to Jarabulus, after the officials got large sums of money and gold.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, renew appeals to the Autonomous Administration and SDF to exert further efforts to put an end to the violations and corruption in areas under their control, hold corrupt officials accountable and bringing them to competent courts, so that they do not escape justice for the crimes they committed.