UPDATES: restoring security in Afrin / ldlib

[Anthea]

The environmental disaster in Afrin

Over 20 million trees of various types have been felled. Olive trees, in particular, are targeted for their valuable wood, which is then sold for profit

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Armed groups in Afrin have once again wreaked havoc on the region's olive groves, causing damage to the livelihoods of Kurdish civilians. Over 200 olive trees, some more than 50 years old, were cutdown in an act described by locals as “deliberate and systematic.”

According to visual evidence provided to Kurdistan24, the devastation took place in the villages of Khrabe Shera and Metina in Afrin city northwest Syria (Rojava), where over 250 olive trees were cut down. The losses, inflicted upon Kurdish farmers, have heightened the sense of despair in a region long plagued by displacement and economic hardship.

"Every tree cut is a blow to our identity and heritage," said a local resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons. "But we are left powerless in the face of these armed factions."

Fear and Silence Under Armed Rule

Since the occupation of Afrin in 2018 the armed factions have engaged in systematic deforestation and the destruction of agricultural lands. Kurdish villagers report that the recent wave of tree-cutting occurred overnight, with no opportunity to intervene.

"We wake up to find our trees gone," a local farmer told Kurdistan24. "No one dares to confront them. The threat of violence is constant, and speaking out could mean imprisonment or worse."

The climate of fear has forced many to remain silent. Even those witnessing the destruction first-hand refrain from reporting the crimes.

"People are terrified," said another resident. "These groups operate with impunity, protected by their leaders who profit from our suffering."

Documented Destruction

The destruction extends far beyond these recent incidents. Since 2018, more than 280,000 olive trees have been cut down by armed groups in Afrin, according to estimates provided by Ahmed Hassan, the head of the local Kurdish National Council (KNCS) in Afrin

"Over 20 million trees of various types have been felled," Hassan stated. "Olive trees, in particular, are targeted for their valuable wood, which is then sold for profit."

The Fuel Trade: A Lucrative Business

With limited access to fuel in the region, the demand for firewood has skyrocketed. Reports suggest that the cut trees are sold as firewood, providing a lucrative income for the factions responsible.

A local firewood trader, speaking anonymously to Kurdistan24, described how armed groups transport logs to warehouses before selling them.

"The most expensive wood is from olive trees," the trader explained. "I move around 40 tons of wood daily, paying bribes at checkpoints along the way. It's a business fueled by destruction and corruption."

While olive wood is the most valuable, oak, pine, and evergreen trees are also heavily exploited.

"The wood is often sold in a semi-dry state," the trader added. "The poor quality doesn’t matter. What matters is the profit."

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/83 ... -continues

[Anthea]

Afrin returnees decry ruined livelihoods

Kurds from Afrin are returning to the city after years of displacement only to face extortion and compounded hardships with their properties in ruins

Two brothers returned to Afrin from the Shahba region on Monday after seven years of displacement, but only the one who paid a fee was allowed to enter his house. He took in his brother to live with him.

“The house was fine with nothing missing, but when we returned there was no heater, no door, a rocket had fallen in the yard, and everything was destroyed. They came and asked us for money saying they bought a door and bought a heater. We said we would borrow money and give it to them so they would leave and we could enter our yard,” a Kurdish returnee told Rudaw in Afrin, requesting anonymity.

Despite all the obstacles, this family wanted to return to the city to end their displacement.

“Outside we were renting, I paid 100,000 [Syrian liras] and every day the landlord wanted an increase, saying ‘get out, I want to marry off my son,’ we suffered greatly,” another Kurdish returnee lamented.

Turkey and the Syrian militia groups it supports took control of Afrin in March 2018 following a military campaign against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The militia groups committed numerous human rights violations, especially against the Kurdish population, documented by local and international organizations. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled the city to YPG-held areas.

No official Syrian government decision has been made to support the return of Afrin’s residents. Some families come back on their own, while others return through aid from the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC).

ENKS is a coalition of Kurdish political parties that is considered the main opposition in northeast Syria (Rojava). The umbrella group, which used to be part of the Turkey-backed anti-Assad opposition, has had an office in Afrin for years.

“From Tal Rifaat to Tal Qarah to Shahba, we went and brought our people back by cars. We said come to your homes and your land so that demographic change does not happen in Afrin,” said Jumaa Hassan, a member of the ENKS local council in Afrin. “There was a response, and many people responded and returned to their homes.”

Nearly 300,000 Kurds have been displaced from Afrin since 2018, and while the number of returnees has not yet been officially documented, the ENKS says that 15,000 have come back

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Afrin in mid-February and met with locals, the majority of whom were Kurds. He pledged to remove armed groups and put an end to the violations, a representative from ENKS who attended the meeting told Rudaw.

A landmark deal between Sharaa and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi earlier in March is accelerating returns, according to ENKS. The agreement seeks to include the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus, recognize the Kurds as an integral part of Syria, and includes a countrywide ceasefire.

It also stipulates the return of displaced Syrians to their hometowns.

Residents of Afrin this year were also able to freely celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, for the first time since the enclave was invaded by militia groups seven years ago.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /250320251

[Anthea]

Efforts underway to restore security in Afrin

The Damascus-affiliated head of security in Afrin told Rudaw that the Syrian general security forces have been deployed in the Kurdish-majority city to safeguard civilians and facilitate the return of displaced persons. Suraqa Abu Ahmed added that the cases of Kurdish prisoners in Aleppo jails are currently under review, with plans to release those wrongly detained

The Damascus-affiliated general security forces “began preserving the security situation in Afrin two months ago” to “maintain security and safeguard civilians,” Abu Ahmed said in an interview last week.

He reaffirmed the Damascus leadership’s “commitment to ensuring the safety and security” of civilians in Afrin, urging local support in the effort. He emphasized the right of the Afrin locals’ right to join Syria’s defense and interior ministry forces “like any other Syrian citizen.”

In 2018, Turkey and its allied Syrian militias seized control of Afrin, forcing hundreds of thousands of Kurds to flee. International organizations have recorded numerous human rights violations against Afrin’s Kurdish population, including killings, kidnappings, looting of agricultural crops, destruction of olive trees, and the imposing of taxes on farmers.

Abu Ahmed urged victims of these violations in Afrin to “resort to the judiciary to reclaim their rights, possessions and properties,” asserting that “we are working on facilitating the return of displaced persons to Afrin” and “on maintaining security in those regions.” He stressed that “when peace and security prevail, [displaced] people will return to their regions.”

The Damascus-affiliated head of security in Afrin additionally pointed to hindrances delaying the return of displaced persons to the Kurdish-majority city. He stated that those “whose homes are habitable are returning,” however “those whose houses require rehabilitation or are destroyed, are working on finding a solution” to allow their return

Abu Ahmed also addressed the issue of Kurdish prisoners in Aleppo’s al-Ra’ei and Afrin jails, stating that their cases “will be reviewed and we will work on the release of all of them,” emphasizing that no political prisoners will be jailed, “only those with criminal records.”

Commenting on the security situation at the predominantly Kurdish quarters of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh north of Aleppo, Abu Ahmed stated, “We are working to implement the articles of the landmark agreement” between Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi, “however the process is not simple.”

In early March, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark agreement to “integrate all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the [Qamishli International] Airport, and oil and gas fields,” read a statement by the Syrian Presidency.

Abu Ahmed confirmed that the committees representing both Damascus and SDF leaderships have been established to ensure the implementation of the accord’s articles.

Of note, a few days after the interview with Abu Ahmed was filmed, the SDF and the new leadership in Damascus struck another agreement on Tuesday to exchange “all prisoners.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday reported that the deal entails “the release of 170 SDF prisoners and a number of bodies of martyrs,” in addition to “around 400 detainees and bodies of members of the government’s security forces and [allied] factions.”

The SDF and Damascus additionally agreed to keep SDF-affiliated internal security forces (Asayish) in Aleppo's predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods, namely the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /020420251