The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Amid international silence and constant media blackout, human tragedy and violations by “Olive Branch” Forces put Afrin people between return to it and displacing from it

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the suffering of the people of Afrin area continues in various forms, where the humanitarian situation unites both of them, which is worsening daily wither it was Tal Rifaat area to which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced to as well as the northern countryside of Aleppo, or those who remained in villages and towns of Afrin area and Afrin city, amid an international silence and a media blackout about this humanitarian catastrophe, were residents informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it is still unknown; the fate of tens of citizens who were arrested by Turkish Forces and the rebel and Islamic factions of the Syrian opposition who participate in the “Olive Branch” Operation, and civilians from the area said that the Turkish forces and the factions continue to raid houses and arrest citizens on charges of “association with Kurdish Forces and the Democratic Union Party,” where they are transferred to unknown places, while harassment is carried out against the remained people, where the locals confirmed that some families were headed out to of Afrin and of areas controlled by “Olive Branch” Operation Forces; to areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo as a result of the repeated attacks on them by these forces controlling Afrin city and countryside, where hundreds of thousands of civilians continue to suffer while the International and relief organizations and the United Nations turn a blind eye on their appeals, amid decrease in food and services provided to them, in conjunction with preventing them to return to Afrin area at the moment.

The Syrian Observatory published about five days ago that the Turkish forces and the Syrian opposition faction, operating within “Olive Branch” Operation launched by Turkey on the 20th of January 2018 haven’t had enough with the looting of Afrin and its countryside and transferring the properties to their areas of control and premises, which they established in the houses of the civilians, who were displaced from their villages and towns. They didn’t only harass the citizens by cutting off electricity and water services in many areas and storming into houses and looting, but also they manipulated on the Turkish mass media. The SOHR received a copy of a video broadcast by Turkish TV channel, showing a TV correspondent speaking to civilians from Afrin, who speak in Kurdish saying ” we don’t want any armed scenes in Afrin, because the Free (Syrian) Army in Afrin are thefts, spoilers, and terrorists, who stole our houses and attacked our women. They rapped 3 girls under the age of 15 yesterday”, but the translator altered the translation and falsely quoted the elderly man saying “we don’t want the Kurdish Units among us in Afrin. They are strangers and came recently to Afrin and looted our properties and they wanted to harass our women”.

This alteration of the words of the people of Afrin comes in conjunction with preventing the civilians from returning to their areas in Afrin area.

The SOHR published hours ago that the international community is continuing to shut its eyes to the tragedy of the displaced people of Afrin, to ignore, with the humanitarian organizations, hundreds of thousands of the people of Afrin area, without providing them with the simplest main components needed for life, where hundreds of families are still staying in the open amid bad weather, where citizens informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights again that the factions operating within Operation “Olive Branch” as well as the Turkish forces, are continuing to prevent them to return, as hundreds of families, after they lived catastrophic humanitarian conditions, decided to return their villages controlled by the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation, but the checkpoints of the Turkish forces and the factions prevented them to cross, where hundreds of citizens are still located near these checkpoints in an attempt to enter and return to their villages.

This return escalates the fears over the lives of the citizens, in the light of the absence of any international or humanitarian movement to stop this humanitarian catastrophe after intersected sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the arrests are still continuing by the Turkish forces and the Syrian opposition factions, against the citizens of Afrin area, of are still in their homes, as after the looting and thefts of the property and machineries of the citizens and housing in the houses of those displaced from the area as a result of the Turkish attack, intersected sourced informed the SOHR that citizens were arrested and subjected to insults by the Turkish forces, which escalated the fears of those people desire to return their homes, amid local requests and calls through the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on the United Nations and the International parties to move and help hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their villages and those fleeing from the Turkish attack within Operation “Olive Branch”.