The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has accused Turkey of human rights violations in the Syrian city of Afrin.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday on the situation in the city of Afrin, which has been occupied by Turkish forces and Ankara-linked groups since 2018.
In 2020, 987 people, including 92 women, were abducted and 58 others killed, according to the report.
Since Turkey’s occupation of Afrin, 50 archaeological and historical monuments have been destroyed or stolen, in addition to the felling of more than 72,000 trees, the report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Over the past two years, more than 604 civilians have been killed, including 498 in the Turkish attacks, according to the report. In addition, 696 people, including 303 children, were injured in these attacks.
Since March 2018, some 300,000 residents of Afrin have left their homes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory called on the UN and international organizations to pressure the Turkish government to stop its army attacks on Syrians, especially in Afrin, withdraw its soldiers from Syria and allow refugees to return home.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also invited the human rights organizations and humanitarian agencies to visit Afrin, record the obvious human rights violations by Turkey and send their images around the world.
On January 20, 2018, the Turkish army launched Operation Olive Branch against Kurdish units in Afrin, northern Syria. The military offensive targets the Kurdish PYD, which Turkey considers an ally of the terrorist PKK, and the U.S.-allied Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
On March 24, the Turkish army had taken complete control of this town. The Syrian government described the Turkish government’s actions in Afrin and other areas in northern Syria as an occupation and called on Ankara to withdraw its troops from Syrian territory.
by Basit Abbasi – FN