Human Rights Watch: Turkey, its mercenaries committed war crimes in Afrin, NE Syria

Human Rights Watch released its annual report of what happened in 2019 in the world, in which it touched upon the situation in Syria, where it touched in large part on the violations of the Turkish state and its mercenaries of the extremist Syrian factions in the areas of the so-called "Olive Branch" in Afrin and "Spring of Peace" in northeastern Syria.

23 January, 2020 14:39

NEWS DESK

The report of the Organization in relation to the Syrian city of Afrin stated: “The security situation in the areas surrounding Afrin, which are controlled by the Syrian National Army; a coalition of factions of the Free Syrian Army of Turkey, has deteriorated greatly.”

The report added: “According to the International Independent Inquiry Commission on Syria, these factions committed war crimes, targeting civilians, taking hostages, booby-trapping cars, exercising arbitrary arrests, extortion, and torture, and imposing strict rules on the dress of women and girls.”

The report also mentioned the violations of Turkey and its Syrian mercenaries in the regions of northeastern Syria, as the organization's report showed the perpetration of a number of violations by the Turkish-backed factions, including the killing against Kurdish fighters, political activists and paramedics, in addition to looting and confiscating the properties without trial.

The mercenaries of Hayet Tahrir al-Sham, Jaish al-Izza, and the groups affiliated with them launched indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas under the control of the Syrian regime. These attacks have caused many civilian casualties and may amount to war crimes according to the Inquiry Commission.

ANHA