Funded and supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and Palestinian associations, the invading Turkish state continues to change the demographic structure of the Afrin Canton by building colonial houses and destroying nature in the occupied regions in North-East Syria.

According to the Afrin Human Rights Organization, mercenaries of the invading Turkish state have cut down 345 thousand olive trees after they occupied Afrin. They also burned more than 11 thousand hectares of agricultural land, rendering it unproductive. Moreover, all the trees in a forest near the Meydankê Lake in the Shera district were cut down by the Turkish state.

The Environmental Agency of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said in a statement on September 8 that approximately 2 million trees have been uprooted since 2018.

Îbrahîm Şêxo, spokesperson of the Afrin Human Rights Organization, spoke to ANHA about the destruction, violations and demographic change in the occupied Afrin region.

“Afrin, which was occupied as part of a plan in March 2018, is witnessing the Turkish state's violations against the population and nature. Turkey is changing its demographic structure and destroying its nature,” Şêxo said.

“The invading Turkish state continues to build colonial houses for foreign families in the occupied regions under the pretext of charitable activities with finance and support from the associations and institutions in the Gulf states and Palestine,” he added.

MORE THAN 4 THOUSAND TREES CUT DOWN NEAR LAKE MEYDANKE

Noting that the Afrin Human Rights Organization documented the crimes of the invading Turkish state in Afrin, Şêxo continued, “According to the documents we have, and the images disseminated by the media, more than 4,000 trees were cut down in the vicinity of Lake Meydankê by the organization called Hayat El Sairîn which includes mercenaries of Sultan Murad, especially Abu Bilal and his group. Within a couple of hours, thousands of trees were cut down by chainsaws and bulldozers.”

THEY KEEP LYING TO PUBLIC

Refuting a statement released by local councils affiliated with the invading Turkish state, Şêxo said, “They claim to have planted trees in the region to justify their crimes to the public. We know well that the planting of the trees begins in February or March. Not in August or September, when the temperature reaches 40 degrees. They are doing this only to cover their crimes. The images are not only from Meydankê alone. The 'El Weqas' Brigade cut down 4,000 trees in Aska village in the west of the Jindires district. Moreover, mercenaries cut down more than 2,000 trees in the villages of Shera district and the village of Çema.”

VILLAGERS ARE THREATENED

Şêxo revealed that according to the information obtained from the residents in the villages of the Şiyê and Mabeta districts, mercenaries of the Semerqend Brigade threatened to kidnap locals and cut more than 10 thousand trees for over a month around the Cihenem mountain and valley between the villages of Rûta, Delo and Hec Qasimo.

‘SOLIDARITY WITH AFRIN IDP’S’

Şêxo continued, “They burned the forest area in Hec Hesna and around Qaziqlî mountain and built colonial houses. The same thing might well be done in Meydankê. The Ehlam Mountain and the vicinity of the lake are strategic locations as well as Kiwêt El Rehmê, Damascus El Xeyriyê.”

“Cutting down trees and building colonial houses take place simultaneously. They cut down trees and burn them, and then level the soil again. They build these colonial houses after receiving money from Gulf and Palestinian organizations. By Palestinian organizations, we refer to the organizations that work under the supervision of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as 'Honourable Life', 'Wefa El Muhsinîn' and 'Xeyr Umme',” Şêxo said.

Şêxo warned the organizations and associations that attempt to change the demographic structure of Afrin, saying, “This is not the right thing to do. They should rather support the IDPs from Afrin living under difficult conditions in the camps in Shehba Canton, subjected to constant bombardments from the invading Turkish state and its mercenaries.”