In Afrin, Turkish occupation, its mercenaries’ mask disappeared -4

Burning and starving policies is the occupation’s method inherited from the Ottomans

SALAH IBO- BASEL RASHID / AL-SHAHBA

In the last videos that were widely spread, huge bulldozers are shown uprooting the olive trees in Hamam village in Janders district. According to unofficial statistics, more than 1,500 olive trees in various parts of Afrin have been uprooted after the occupation in addition to the annexation of more than 25,000 other trees to the Turkish side from the border by the Turkish aggression as a result of continuous attacks on the Syrian-Turkish border in Afrin.

In conjunction with attacking the private properties, the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries began to practice the systematic and intended destruction of the forest and agricultural areas in Afrin canton in addition to restricting the farmers and depriving them of their agricultural vehicles and transportations.

Natural wealth in Afrin

More than 25,000 hectares of natural and artificial forests are distributed in Afrin canton which is known for its natural beauty and agricultural diversity.

Afrin’s forests are the only remaining green zone in the Syrian north after the Syrian crisis that has erupted since 2012. The Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) has used all its available resources to protect the vegetation and prevent it from being deteriorated and to limit uprooting and overgrazing to preserve the environment and link between humanity and ecology according to the principles of the democratic nation. The forests of Afrin which cover an area of ​​25,000 hectares include 12,147 hectares of the artificial forests with the forests of Turkey from the northern side and with the forests of Samaan Mount area in the south-west side. These forests comprise 75% of the area of oak trees with broadleaves, 20% of the area of pine, pinus brutia and the stone pine trees and 5% of the area of arbutus, crataegus, styrax, wild olive and pistachio trees.

According to a special report issued by the Agriculture Body of Afrin canton, the Turkish military encroachments on the agricultural resources in Afrin canton after its occupation have been documented. The report included, “After the occupation of Afrin canton by the Turkish army and its mercenaries, they began to practice the systematic destruction against the environment of the area, especially the natural forests and exploit the agricultural resources to serve the settlers (the displaced people of al-Ghouta and other Syrian areas to Afrin) in several ways.”

The last violation practiced by the Turkish mercenaries was setting fire deliberately on the olive trees that belong to Mr. Na'san Mohammed Bakr from the village of Hobka in Rajo district last Friday, causing the burning of 5,000 long-standing trees.

On August 6, the mercenaries set fire to Ghorke hill between Khurza and Jolaq villages.

On August 3, the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation uprooted 15 olive trees that belong to the citizen Bello Bilal at the entrance of Shia district from the southern side in the aim of establishing a military center.

On August 2, the Turkish mercenaries burnt the forests in Khaziya and Jolaqa Mounts.

On August 23, the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries set fire to Hawar Mountain in Rajo district in Afrin.

On August 19, the Turkish mercenary factions set fire to Qeribel Mountain in Meidana district in Afrin.

In July 16, the mercenary factions set fire to Qurt Qulaq village’s mountain in Shera district in Afrin.

In July 15, the mercenaries burnt the forest lands in Jerqa Mount between Alamdar and Jarqa villages in Rajo district.

In July 13, more than a thousand olive trees of the citizens of Khozina Tahtani village in the north-east side of Mobata district were burnt and the mercenaries prevented the citizens to suppress the fire as it expanded to the adjacent forest lands.

In July 11, a number of the houses in Sariya village in Mobata district were burnt and that resulted in extending fire to the adjacent forest lands.

In July 6, many olive trees in Sewia village that overlooks Badina town near the forests in the village were uprooted.

In July 6, the forest trees in al-Nashama valley (Gale Tira) whose space is estimated about 2 hectares and that are located on the road leading to Rajo area were burnt (setting fire to that area took place at the instruction of the Turkish intelligences directly).

In July 6, the Turkish mercenaries burnt the forest areas that are extended from the villages of Hajika Fokani and Hajika Tahtani reaching to the villages of Quda, Darwish and Mosaka in Rajo district, knowing that this area contains the natural assets of the wild olive of oily classification which Afrin is famous for, in addition to various forest varieties.

In July 7, the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation set fire to about 2,500 olive and pomegranate and grape trees in the agricultural lands that belong to Adama village’s citizens in Rajo district on the road leading to Maydan Akbas, and they belong to the citizens Mohammed Othman Salem; 100 trees, Rajab Othman Salem; 100 trees, Suleiman Mohammed Mohammed; 100 trees, Walid Mohammed Mohammed; 100 trees, Mohammed Hassen Ismael; 100 trees, Yehya Rashid Mostafa; 300 trees in addition to burning 1,500 pomegranate trees and 300 grape trees of the citizen Mohammed Bakr Sheikh Dada and burning 800 meters of agricultural irritation jets of 4 inch that belong to the citizen Abdel Rahman Ismael from Altaniya village after looting his crop of wheat and sending it to Turkey by the Turkish mercenaries.

In July 6, the mercenaries set fire to the agricultural lands that extend at a space of 4 km from the western side of Atmana village in Rajo district, including oak and olive trees.

In May 30, the Turkish occupation army cut 500 olive trees that belong to three citizens who are Mohammed Ali Qermo from Hajj Jamal village in Rajo area, Meh ed-Din Bladino and Ahmed Saleh from Altaniya village to establish a training camp for its mercenaries. In Balilka village, the Turkish occupation army cut forest trees to establish a place for landing the helicopters.

In June 6, the mercenaries burnt the agricultural crops that belong to the civilians from Qibar village. They burned a land with 3 hectares space. The family of Nassan’s land with a space of 4 hectares was burnt. They also burnt a land of 3 hectares of family of Zakariya Sheikh Hamza from Dar Gire village at the entrance of canton from the north-east side.

In June 8, the mercenaries burnt lands planted with olive trees and barley in the north of Burj Qas village and in the east of Barad village in Sherawa district.

The mercenaries of the Turkish occupation burnt on the second day of Eid al-Fitr vast spaces of the agricultural lands in Bene and Basle villages.

In June 29, the mercenaries of Ahrar al-Sharqiya burnt the lands of Bankiye village in Rajo district in the west of Afrin and the fire extended from the houses of the village to the forest lands that are adjacent to the village.

In June 21, the mercenaries burnt the forest trees that are located in the eastern side of Midanki Lake and the only island that is located in the center of Midanki Lake.

Benefits of forests

Forests absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, bring rain, increase groundwater reserves, adjust and temper the climate, purify the atmosphere of pollution and noise, secure a section of wood, maintain soil, increase fertility and prevent erosion and halt desertification, provides food for humans, animals and other living things and provides beautiful parks and tourist attractions.

The concerned say “The forests are our wooden house, our warmth, our bed and the seat of our study, the faithful guard that embraces the soil and prevent its erosion. They are also the source of our food and our medicine, the space of hope, the children's smile and the comfort of the soul and the paradise of the earth.”

The wheat was looted and transported to Turkey

In its report, the Agriculture Commission of Afrin described the looting and plundering of the canton's wheat as a crime under international law. The report said, "The Turkish occupation state has taken away the entire wheat crop in the area by entering the Turkish company with al-Tonsa Company mark 25 harvesters to the area as the harvest season began, and determined the price of buying wheat from the people at 90 Syrian pounds. The Turkish company, which uses mercenaries in harvesting operations, deducts 20% of the value of the crop as wages for harvesting and workers, in addition to calculating 7% as a tax belonging to mercenary gangs. According to what the Agriculture Body in Afrin documented, the Turkish company was working on the calculation of the reservoir attached to harvester with 3 tons of wheat while the reservoir, according to the farmers in Afrin, can accommodate four tons of wheat so that the Turkish occupation authorities stole wheat from the people in the daylight.

According to the estimates of the Agriculture Authority, the production of Afrin for the season of 2018 exceeded 20 thousand tons of wheat with hard and soft kinds. Hundreds of hectares of wheat and barley were also looted by the militants of the battalions allied with Turkey under the pretext that the owner of the land did not have a harvest license from the occupation authorities or the owner of the land was not existed in Afrin. Thieving the genotypes of the Syrian wheat by the Turkish state directly is a crime to be held accountable by the international law.

A systematic economic policy aimed at annihilation

In addition to what has been mentioned above, the farmers of Afrin suffer from a deteriorating economic situation due to the control of some traders associated with the mercenaries on trading the agricultural materials, specifically in Souq al-Hal market in Afrin. Many farmers said to the Agriculture Authority that there are many obstacles that the farmers face as they must have a paper to be allowed to cross within the villages, towns and Afrin city. This paper is gained by the councils appointed by the Turkish occupation after the payment of a sum that reaches 120 US dollars, and the mercenary gangs do not often recognize this paper and demand the payment of other taxes.

The farmers say that the prices of the agricultural products do not suit with the production costs and therefore, they suffer from the loss due to the control of traders loyal to the armed factions on the trade in the areas controlled by the Turkish occupation. The difference in prices for agricultural products that are mostly produced in Afrin and Idlib and that a large part of them are sent to the areas of the Syrian regime reach 75% and more.

The Agricultural Authority has prepared a study on the difference in prices of agricultural products produced in Afrin and Aleppo at the same time of the season, and according to these differences in prices, proves the adoption of the Turkish occupation state economic policy aimed at determining the level of income of the people of Afrin indigenous and most of them rely on agriculture, The settlers have the right to work in all areas and to obtain the property that the original residents of Afrin will have to sell if this continues, in addition to forcing the residents to give their land to the settlers free of charge and sometimes for small sums. Considering that the one hectare of irrigated land was up to 300 thousand Syrian pounds before the occupation, and the settlers currently are exploiting it for sums of not more than 30 thousand Syrian pounds.

Expropriation or lease of land

And other violations of the authorities of the Turkish occupation in Afrin is issuing laws on the people of Afrin, who were forced out of them, by looting the belongings of their homes and the imposition of absentia taxes or lease their land for money determined by the armed battalions, in the village of Juqa, which is away from the center of the city of Afrin 7 km, the mercenary groups issued orders to pay 1500 Syrian pounds for each olive tree in the plains belonging to the people who are not in the village in exchange for allowing their relatives or those who wish to sponsor them, and pay 750 Syrian pounds for each olive tree planted in the highlands, noted one of the village’s citizen during the audio recording.

Violations in tradition and international law

The previous violations  monitored are a small part of the violations taking place in Afrin since its occupation by the Turkish army and its mercenaries, these violations against the environment and agricultural land as part of the war crimes to which the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), 1998, and which states "All the acts which cause massive, long term and severe destruction to the natural environment and violate the principle of proportionality are considered as war crime" and other special provisions prohibit the destruction of agricultural land and drinking water facilities in order to harm the civilian population, international law grants the environment a civil character and thus prevents aggression. International humanitarian law takes into account the protection of the environment in two ways: first, "under its general provisions" and "through certain additional special provisions".

In this regard, the lawyer says that the Turkish occupation state is considered as of responsible legally  about the much destruction caused to the environment and infrastructure in Afrin canton due to its occupation to the canton and that the practices of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries from the arson of forests and natural reserves and agricultural land, all this is considered absolute  authoritarianism’s practices which do not respect international covenants and treaties.

Do violations of the nature of the Turkish state amount to war crimes?

According to international laws on the environment in war, these laws describe the environment as "civil" and thus prevent their intended destruction and tampering the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998 is considered a war crime for all acts that cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment and violate the principle of proportionality, and other special provisions prohibit the destruction of agricultural land and drinking water facilities in order to harm the civilian population, directly, all this applies in reality to past violations documented in Afrin.

International conventions stipulate that the environment should not be targeted if it is not used for military purposes. The United Nations International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says in its protocol to the United Nations “The general provisions on the conduct of hostilities apply to the environment, since the environment is often of a civilian nature and therefore attacks can only be launched against them if they are diverted to a military objective. The destruction of the environment must also be taken into consideration when assessing the proportionality of an attack on military targets. "

Protocol has added a special provision prohibiting "using  methods or means of killing intended or likely to cause extensive, long-term damage to the environment and nature. "The Protocol also prohibits attacks against the natural environment such as retaliation.

The Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries occupiers Afrin canton are working in various ways to change the features of the area through the destruction of the ruins and the theft and demographic change of their indigenous populations. Today they are fighting their nature and mountains in a reprisal manner and burning and killing them in the eyes of environmental organizations.

D.H

ANHA