Ongoing violations | National Army factions impose royalties and fell olive trees in Afrin

Aleppo province: SOHR activists have reported that “National Army” factions felled nearly 615 olive trees in Afrin city and Bulbul district to sell them as heating logs.

This comes in light of the ongoing violations committed against civilians and their trees in “Olive Branch” arera in northern Aleppo countryside.

On the other hand, “National Army” factions keep harassing and pressuring the native residents in Afrin through imposing royalties on farmers and building contractors, where Ahrar Al-Sharqiyah members imposed royalties on building contractors in Al-Vilat neighbourhood (neighbourhood of villas) in their held areas in Afrin, which ranged between 1,000 to 3,000 USD to allow them to carry out their work in the neighbourhood.

Moreover, Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyah faction imposed similar royalties on build contractors in their held areas in Al-Ashrafiyah neighbourhood in Afrin city, ranging between 500 to 1,500 USDs, to allow them to carry out their work.

While in Tel Tawil village in Afrin countryside north western of Aleppo, Jaish Al-Sharqiyah faction imposed royalties on the owners of agricultural lands reaching 25 USDs for each hectare, threatening them to take over civilians’ properties if they refuse to pay the royalties or if they issued complaints against them to the “Grievance Response Committee”. An Al-Sham Legion military checkpoint between Hasndira and Naza villages in Bulbul district in Afrin countryside imposed royalties on drivers, ranging between 50 to 100 Turkish Liras.