“Euphrates Shield” areas and surroundings in March 2022 | Over 30 casualties in acts of violence and six explosions, rivalries and fights

Since Turkish forces and their proxy factions captured several areas in Aleppo after a military operation known as “Euphrates Shield”, humanitarian crises have been emerging and worsening gradually, with violations, attacks and explosions occur almost daily. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has monitored and tracked March’s prominent developments in these areas, which could be summarised in the following main points:

 

 

Human casualties

 

In March 2022, SOHR activists documented the death of eight people in areas under the control of Turkish forces and factions operating under the banner of “Euphrates Shield” operations room in northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo. The fatalities breakdown is as follows:

 

-Six civilians:

 

• A woman was killed by her husband over disagreements in Al-Bab city in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

 

• A child was killed in a fight with other children in Shamarin camp in Azaz countryside.

 

• A man was shot dead by gunmen affiliated with “Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah” in Al-Bab city.

 

• A young man died after being shot in the head by unknown assailants on the road to Qabasin in Al-Bab countryside in eastern Aleppo.

 

• A three-year-old girl was found dead, after being strangled to death, with marks of brutal torture on her body in Kafra village in Azaz countryside.

 

• A young man was killed in rocket fire on Azaz city, where the rockets were fired from areas under the control of Kurdish and regime forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

 

-Two combatants

 

• A member of “Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah,” who had been displaced from Homs city, was shot dead by a regime sniper on the frontline of Tadef in Al-Bab countryside.

 

• A member of Ahrar Al-Sham was shot dead by a sniper of Afrin Liberation Forces on the frontline of Abla village on the outskirts of Azaz city.

 

SOHR also documented the injury of over 23 people in explosions, fights and bombardment in “Euphrates Shield” area and its surroundings in March.

 

 

Explosions and infightings

 

“Euphrates Shield” areas experienced two infightings and factional rivalries in March 2022, with the first taking place on March 9 when clashes erupted between “Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah” and Ahrar Al-Sham in Al-Bab city centre. The clashes resulted in the injure of a civilian young man.

 

The second fight took place on the same day, March 9, when fierce clashes erupted in Al-Tayshan village in Jarabulus countryside between gunmen of Al-Jehayshat tribe and local gunmen from Al-Sheyoukh village. No casualties were reported.

 

 

Besides, four explosions hit “Euphrates Shield” areas in March 2022; they are as follows:

 

• March 1: A landmine exploded in Al-Amiyyah village in Al-bab countryside in eastern Aleppo, injuring a civilian seriously.

 

• March 17: An IED exploded near Al-Sa’a roundabout in Azaz city centre in north Aleppo countryside, lightly wounding a civilian.

 

• March 21: A loud explosion was heard in Jarabulus city, which was caused by the explosion of an IED planted earlier in the car of a commander in the military police known by his initials as A. B. M. The explosion left material damage only.

 

• March 26: A landmine exploded on the frontlines with regime forces in Tadef town in Al-Bab countryside in eastern Aleppo, injuring two militiamen of the “National Army” factions.

 

 

Arrests and kidnappings

 

Also, in March, SOHR documented the arbitrary arrest and kidnapping of 12 people in “Euphrates Shield” area and its surroundings. Most of these people were arrested and kidnapped for ransoms.

 

-Arbitrary arrests: Nine people

 

• The military police arrested four young men in Jarabulus city while attempting to sneak into Turkish territory with the help of smugglers. Military police members asked the young men’s families to pay a ransom 4,000 USD in return for their release.

 

• Jaysh Al-Sharqiyyah faction arrested four people in Al-Tafre’ah village in Al-Bab countryside, after they had sneaked from regime-controlled areas, with the help of smugglers, where the arrested people’s families were asked to pay a ransom for their release.

 

• Al-Hamza Division arrested a displaced man from Homs city in Bizaah town in Al-Bab countryside, where militiamen of Al-Hamza Division asked his family to pay a ransom for his release.

 

-Kidnappings: Three people

 

• March 2: Masked members of Liwaa Asifat Al-Shamal kidnapped a civilian from a fuel station in Azaz city.

 

• March 3: A man from Palmyra city kidnapped a ten-year-old girl. The fate of the girl remains unknown.

 

• March 15: Masked men in a car, “Santa Fe” make, opened fire on a young man before kidnapped him by force on the road to Baratha village on the junction of Al-Dana village in Al-Bab countryside.

 

 

Assaults

 

Furthermore, SOHR activists documented two assaults by Turkish-backed militiamen of the “National Army,” where members of the Third Corps brutally beat a child from Al-Bab city for “getting closer to military headquarters of the Third Corps. The child sustained bruises and lost some of his teeth.

 

While on March 29, a member of Mohamed Al-Fateh faction beat a civilian brutally at a checkpoint in western Suran.

 

 

It seems that violations in “Euphrates Shield” area will not stop as long as Turkish forces and their proxies keep breaching all international laws and charters, while no party or international or regional player is exhibiting any willingness to put an end to these “grave” violations, despite SOHR repeated warnings about the dreadful humanitarian situation in the region.