Statement by the Kurdish National Council regarding the violations of armed factions in Afrin

Yekiti Media

-The Afrin region fell under the control of armed factions supported by the Turkish army on March 18, 2018, most notably the “Sultan Suleiman Shah” faction known as “al-Amshat”, and the Hamza Division, the region has been subjected to a series of serious and systematic violations that amount to crimes against humanity, committed by armed factions within the ranks of the national army, which led to the deterioration of the humanitarian, social, economic and environmental situation, in an attempt to change the demographic character of this Kurdish region.

-The armed factions impose heavy taxes and royalties on civilians, reaching $5,000 to restore homes and lands, $1,500 on artesian wells, and $2,000 on olive presses.

-And eight dollars for each olive tree, these factions have also seized the lands of the indigenous people and property, preventing the return of the people to their areas and increasing their suffering.

-And in addition to these violations, there are kidnappings and arbitrary arrests, as the “Sultan Suleiman Shah” faction kidnapped the Kurdish citizen Idris Abo and four others from the village of Kakhire on September 15, and demanded a ransom of $ 11,000.

And when any citizen was unable to pay the amount, he was subjected to torture and arrest. When the women of the village protested and demonstrated in front of the faction’s headquarters, they were subjected to gunfire, and the village was besieged militarily and all means of communication were cut off, resulting in many women being injured.

-And the Afrin region has witnessed large-scale deliberate fires since July 2024 to exploit it in the timber trade, which led to the destruction of vast areas of agricultural land and forests.

-The Kurdish National Council in Syria strongly condemn in its statement these horrific violations and crimes committed by many of these factions affiliated with the Coalition, and called on the international community to intervene by pressuring to stop these crimes, especially Turkey to play its role in this context, considering that the region is under its military and administrative control.

-The Council called for the expulsion of all armed factions from populated areas, the formation of civil councils from the original residents of the region to manage their affairs, and to ensure the return of the people to their homes and lands with dignity and safety.

General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council

September 15, 2024