Arabic to English Translation*
Confirming the continuation of Turkey’s occupation of the Afrin region, dozens of its military bases, security headquarters, service and administrative institutions, schools, and religious and cultural centers remain active and continue their operations. Likewise, the local councils appointed by Turkey since 2018 are still functioning. Additionally, Turkish intelligence, accompanied by the “Civil Police” militia, continues to set up security checkpoints (such as at the junction of Kokan village), where they interrogate and detain some Kurdish returnees to the area. Moreover, there are security and military headquarters, economic offices, and checkpoints operated by militias affiliated with the so-called “Syrian National Army.”
The following are facts about the current situation:
=Mosque Opening:
Another example of the continued Turkish occupation: on April 21, 2025, deputies of the Governor of Hatay Province and the Mufti of Hatay Province, alongside several “religious and social” figures and “Mohammad Sheikh Rashid,” Deputy Head of the Local Council in Afrin, attended the inauguration ceremony of the “Hassan Effendi Qassem Agha Mosque” in the city of Afrin. This was reported, along with accompanying photographs, on the official Facebook page of the Local Council.
= Celebration of Turkish “National Sovereignty Day”:
On the occasion of “National Sovereignty and Children’s Day,” observed annually in Turkey on April 23, the “Yunus Emre Institute” organized events within the premises of the industrial school in the city of Afrin. The activities were held under dozens of Turkish flags and included speeches encouraging the integration of the emerging Syrian generation into Turkish culture and allegiance.
= Assault on a Civilian:
On April 16, 2025, in the center of Shiyeh/Sheikh Al-Hadid town, an individual known as “Abu Hamza,” head of the security office of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade – Al-Amshat,” fired shots between the legs of citizen “Mustafa Mustafa Jamil Sheikho,” a local resident, and physically assaulted him. The attack occurred after Mustafa demanded full payment for diesel fuel he had sold to Abu Hamza.
= Assault on a Doctor:
Recently, in the village of “Gawindo–Maydono, “located in Rajo district, several families of settlers—who had seized local residents’ homes since 2018—stole what remained in the houses, including doors and windows, as they departed for their original areas of residence. In this context, an individual known as “Abu Hayyan,” one of the leaders of the “Sham Legion” militia, dismantled the doors and windows of a villa belonging to dentist “Ahmad Mousa Hassan” and physically assaulted and insulted him when he protested the theft. “Ahmad” had repeatedly demanded the return of his home over the past seven years without success, forcing him to reside permanently in Afrin city.
= Extortion by “Hamzat Division”:
The Economic Office of the “Hamzat Division” militia in the Rajo district continues to impose and collect extortion payments from Kurdish citizens, particularly in the villages of “Kumrasheh, Hassan, Qidah, Hajiko Foqani and Tahtani, Atmono, Mosaka, Barbaneh, and Golio Foqani and Tahtani.” These payments are demanded in exchange for handing over olive fields and homes to returning residents, and for renewing so-called “guarantee contracts/management of absentee property.” Individuals identified as “Abu Laith” and “Mohammad Atriyah” sent separate audio recordings threatening the local population, demanding compliance and payment, despite the presence of the General Security apparatus affiliated with the Damascus government in the district.
= Tree Cutting:
In addition to the ongoing deforestation of the remaining wooded areas in the town of “Qatma” – Sharra/Sharran and several villages in Jenderes, according to local sources and numerous videos circulating on social media, there have been widespread incidents of olive tree cutting. One example is the partial and complete felling of more than 100 olive trees in the village of “Shuargha” – Robariya/Sharran district, during the night of April 19, 2025, as shown in a video clip published by a village resident. Upon verifying the incident, it was confirmed that the trees belonged to the citizen “Bashar Thaqib Saeed” and the children of his late brother Jamal. The wood and tree trunks are being loaded onto trucks and transported by the militias to sales centers inside Afrin city and Idlib province.
= Other Violations:
– The individual “Ammar Kakku / Abu Al-Joud” – one of the leaders of the “Al-Mu’tasim Brigade” militia – who has taken control of the house of the citizen “Khalil Kamal Hussein” in the village of “Qeebar” – east of Afrin city since 2018, refuses to hand over the house to its rightful owner unless a large financial extortion is paid, despite repeated demands. “Khalil” confirms, through a widely circulated video clip, that he was kidnapped on February 8, 2025, and his car was stolen. He asserts that he is in urgent need of his house and is unable to pay the extortion fee.
– On April 15, 2025, an armed individual stole a motorcycle in Afrin city, which belonged to the citizen “Abidin Manan Cheecho” from the town of “Badino.”
The continued Turkish occupation of Afrin and the persistence of militias encourage the continuation of violations, the refusal to return properties to the rightful owners, and the refusal of settlers to return to their original areas. This maintains an unsafe environment for the forcibly displaced people to return to their homes.
26.04.2025
Media Office-Afrin
Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
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Images:
– Opening of the “Hassan Effendi Qasim Agha” Mosque in the city of Afrin, April 21, 2025.
– Celebration of Turkey’s “National Sovereignty and Children’s Day” by the “Yunus Emre Institute,” April 23, 2025.
– Olive tree cutting in the village of “Shuargha” in the Sharra district, from a video published on the “Afrin Now” page, April 19, 2025.
– Cutting of a forested area north of the town of “Qatma” in the Sharra district, from a video shared by journalist Ahmad Al-Barho on April 22, 2025.
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* Under the supervision of the European Organization of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekîtî).
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