Logging continues in Afrin as tree loss surpasses 1 million

Areas in the Afrin countryside continue to witness tree-cutting operations and the transportation of resulting firewood, amid warnings of worsening environmental damage due to policies based on the destruction of vegetation cover, after more than one million trees have been cut down since 2018.

25 June, 2026 10:19

NEWSDESK

Videos circulating since yesterday show ongoing logging operations and the transport of firewood in several areas of the Afrin countryside.

In two separate incidents documented by citizens using mobile phone cameras, unidentified individuals were seen transporting firewood after cutting forest trees in both the woodland area of Basouta village and Ghazi village in the Afrin countryside.

Many local sources indicate that tree-cutting and its commercial exploitation have continued for more than eight years, causing a major decline in forested areas and woodlands across the Afrin region.

It is worth noting that during the Turkish army's occupation of Afrin in 2018, affiliated mercenary groups cut down approximately 1,030,000 trees — including olive, forest, and fruit trees — for sale as firewood or charcoal, in addition to burning more than 12,000 hectares of land, according to the latest statistics documented by ANHA agency.

A-H

ANHA