HRW: Turkey-Backed "Militants" Loot, Destroy Civilian Property in Northern Syria

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Turkey-backed militants in the Syrian town of Afrin have looted and destroyed civilian property after taking control of the Kurdish-dominated region in March.

“Those who made the decision to take over Afrin also took on the responsibility of ensuring that both the residents of Afrin, and people there who have been displaced elsewhere have basic shelter in a way that doesn’t infringe on either of those groups’ rights,” HRW’s Acting Emergencies Director Priyanka Motaparthy said, press tv reported.

 “So far it seems that they are failing to do the right thing by either group,” she added.

The HRW's report is based on interviews and eyewitness accounts of people who have been displaced from Afrin. They accuse Turkey-backed forces of moving their fighters from other parts of Syria into vacated homes and of taking over business premises without paying compensation.

Roni Seydo left Afrin in March but was told by a friend that an armed group had taken over his house, painting the word “seized” on the outside wall. He said his neighbors were questioned about his family and its possible links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Another former Afrin resident, photographer Ser Hussein, said one of his two studios was burned down and the other turned into a butcher's shop.
  (FNA)
 15/6/18
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