Woman IDP narrates her tragedy after 8 years of exodus from the Land of olives

 Widad Hassan, mother of four children from the village of Khazyan, affiliated with Moubata in occupied Afrin city, never had a day without olive oil in her kitchen, as olives were an essential part of her family’s breakfast. She spent years alongside her husband caring for olive trees before they were forcibly displaced.

On January 20, 2018, the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries launched a wide-scale offensive lasting 58 days, employing aircraft and modern weaponry. This culminated in imposing occupation over the area as a result of international deals and interests, which led to the displacement of approximately 400,000 civilians towards the Shahba canton via the so-called "Mountain of Dreams."

In December 2024, the displaced faced a new attack that forced them to flee once again, enduring the bitterness of exile for the second time within eight years.

Widad owns a plot of land in the village of Kharbat Shara, containing 300 olive trees and 300 saplings she planted before her displacement, in addition to walnut, apricot, and sumac trees. Her husband also owns a similar plot in the village of Kakhra, affiliated with Moubata. However, these lands are now beyond their reach.

Widad said, "For eight years, I haven’t tasted a drop of oil or an olive from my trees. We left everything behind, and the blessings of our land have become someone else’s."

According to reports from her village’s residents, mercenaries affiliated with the Turkish occupation cut down walnut trees with electric saws and uprooted sumac plants. She added, "They have no respect for nature; they consider vegetables a threat and carry not a shred of love for life."

Her home in central Afrin city was sold to several settler families at low prices without her knowledge, and today she is asked to pay $800 to vacate it, according to neighbors and relatives.

Widad describes her sense of exile, saying: "We were close to Afrin in Shahba but far from reaching it because between us stand mercenaries, weapons, and interests that do not recognize humanity." Regarding the conditions of return, she affirms: "If the occupier and their mercenaries do not withdraw, and the Turkish flag is not removed from Afrin, there will be no return for us. We need guarantees from the United Nations for a safe and dignified return."

Widad concludes her statement: "We are alive... but we are not living. Faith in the imminent reunion eases the bitterness of longing, but the mind never tires of asking: When will we return?"

ANHA