Mother from Afrin: they destroyed everything even our children’s future, we are fed up

Although almost two years have passed since the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries attacked Afrin, the plight of the people of Afrin who are subject to the policies of forced displacement does not end. People who were not displaced by the brutal bombing choosing to remain in Afrin to protect their properties, are subjected daily to various pressures and practices to force them to move.

The mother (R, Sh) exited Afrin after almost a year and a half since the occupation, saying that the situation could not be tolerated, forcing her out of Afrin.

The mother arrived with her husband and three daughters in Ashrafieh neighborhood of Aleppo after a year and a half spent in Afrin, fearing for the fate of her family members who live in Afrin, she asked not to reveal her name and photo.

"Within a year and a half, her daughters went out only once"

Mother (R, Sh) says that living in Afrin is like a prison, where the families, especially the women, cannot roam and move around freely.

(R, Sh) says that the residents of the neighborhood where they lived, both Kurds and Arabs, agreed among themselves not to mix with mercenaries "to preserve our dignity," she said. She confirms that her three daughters did not go out of the house except once to buy some necessities since the occupation of Afrin until the day they left, of course, for fear of the mercenary attacks.

"If the ID is registered in Afrin, you will face problems"

The mother (R, Sh) noted that being a resident from Afrin is a sufficient reason to face various harassment, looting and attacks by mercenaries. She says in this regard: "My identification card is registered in another governorate, and the house where I live is registered in my name, so the mercenaries did not try to take over our house.

For example, she recalls an incident in her village where mercenaries attempted to take over two houses, but the people of the village, especially women, refused to do so and confronted the mercenaries, which resulted in the injury of a number of families, yet the mercenaries deliberately robbed a house.

"They ask to marry girls, and if they refuse, they kidnap them forcibly."

Prevented her daughters from leaving the house, RM explains that mercenary elements legitimize the attack on girls, where they propose to marry them for marriage, and if the family or girl refuses, they kidnap the girl and marry her forcibly and under threat.

According to (R, Sh), the Turkish occupation seized many lands belonging to the people of the region, including, for example, the seizure of the lands of the people of Kokan village and built a military base on Raju Road and Kokan village in Mobata district.

"Life is no longer bearable, we have reached the point of suffocation"

(R,Sh) stresses that life in Afrin under occupation is no longer tolerable for the indigenous people, and she says in this regard: "There is no safety in Afrin, they destroyed everything, even the future of the children, we have reached the degree of suffocation as a result of the practices of the occupation, so we decided to leave it.”

J.O

ANHA