Turkey-backed mercenaries loot archaeological site of Bir al-Tall in Afrin

The archaeological site of Bir al-Tall in the Kurdish canton of Afrin is being pillaged and razed by the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries.

The Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization reported from local sources that the archaeological site Bir al-Tall, located between the villages of Chitka, Hasiya Mirkan, Kakhera in Mabata district, is being looted by mercenaries of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), and Al-Amshat.

According to local sources, excavation operations on the site have been carried out using construction machines for around ten days in search of treasures and archaeological artefacts in Bir al-Tall. The archaeological site is located in an orchard belonging to a man called F.C.

The sources also said that the man suffered a stroke and is now bedridden at home, after Al-Amshat mercenaries vandalized his orchard by uprooting his fruit trees.

On 31 March 2022, the Directorate of Antiquities of Afrin published a report on the crimes carried out by the Turkish occupation on the archaeological site of Bir al-Tall, accompanied by several photographs and a video documenting them.