Four years in | Turkish-backed factions continue excavating archaeological hills in Afrin

Aleppo province: SOHR activists have reported that Turkish-backed factions continue excavating and bulldozing Tarnada hill for four years, since they controlled Afrin.

The archaeological hill is located near Afrin river south eastern of Afrin, and is registered under the Syrian Antiquities Directorate.

It is worth noting that the hill was subjected to systematic bulldozing by bulldozers and heavy machines, before the eyes of Turkish forces deployed near the hill.

Moreover, the bulldozing operations affected the base of the hill and caused destruction of archaeological layers, in search for treasures and buried archaeological findings.

This comes as a part of the series of violations by Turkish-backed factions in “Olive Branch” area in Afrin.

On March 16, SOHR sources reported that Turkish-backed militiamen continue excavation and digging work at the archaeological hill of “Zontry” near Afrin city.

The hill, which is registered at the Syrian Ministry of Culture and General Administration of Antiques and Syrian museums, is located near Qourt Qolaq village in Sharran district in Afrin countryside. The militiamen had used heavy diggers and earth-moving machineries for digging and excavating the hill, destroying successively ancient and archaeological layers. Moreover, Turkish-backed militiamen felled hundreds of olive trees surrounding the hill, where the area containing ancient fossil is estimated to be of 15,000 square metres.