A forest ruled by “mafias”…popular resentment due to the security chaos in the areas usurped by Turkey

Yamin Al Khalid – Aleppo
Translated by: Hejar Abo

The residents of the encroached areas of Turkey, in which the National Army and the Interim Government are supported, suffer a state of chaos, violations and security chaos, which are repeated almost daily, especially about the terror and fear caused by the fighting of armed military factions and clan fighting, until the cases of kidnappings, arrests and assassinations became frighteningly widespread, This is in addition to the confiscation of property, which causes great concern among the indigenous people who remain in those areas, and the settlers who were brought in by Turkey and the National Army at the expense of the indigenous people after their displacement from their areas complain.

The security and safety that Turkey and the Syrian National Army raised when raping cities, in fact, does not exist. Those who live in those areas are most interested in having real security and stability, contrary to what the Turkish policy is promoting to the world about those areas, as they have become a focus of anxiety and terror for society.

The people backs that among the main reasons for spreading chaos is the presence of armed factions, as many people assert that the armed factions allocate the imports of cities and towns, and each faction imposes its authority on a group of people, and the methods of administration differ from one faction to another, which severely hinders the movement of civilians and causes obstacles facing their daily life.

In addition, the indiscriminate spread of weapons and unemployment are among the most important factors that reinforce the phenomenon of insecurity, making these areas in the eyes of their residents a place more like a “jungle” ruled by “mafias” who live on violations of the rights of civilians.

“Haitham Al-Ali” (pseudonym), a journalist activist residing in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, tells Aso News Network that the cases of fighting, assassinations, bombings, thefts and kidnappings cannot be limited to the areas known as the “Euphrates Shield” and “Olive Branch”, so the mechanism of monitoring in those areas confirms that there are constant casualties and human losses.

On August 24, about five civilians were wounded and three members of two families were killed in the city of Al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, violent armed fighting broke out between them against the background of revenge between the two families. During the fighting, machine guns, hand grenades, rifles and knives were used amid a state of panic among civilians.

Also, on August 17, an armed group affiliated with the Turkish-backed factions attacked a 26-year-old young man, from the town of Sejo, in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, while he was trying to cross the Syrian-Turkish border has been saverly beaten and stole an estimated $700 USD was in his possession.

In mid-August, the city of Azaz witnessed armed clashes between the displaced on the one hand, and the armed factions loyal to Turkey on the other, due to the continued violations and abuses of the armed factions against civilians, as both sides used medium and light weapons during the clashes that lasted for several hours, and resulted in a number of members of the pro-Turkish factions and the displaced were injured, before the fighting stopped through clan mediation and the intervention of the so-called “military police”.

On August 11, the Turkish forces suppressed the demonstrations that took place against the backdrop of the statements of the Turkish Foreign Minister, “Cavusoglu”, in which he called for reconciliation with the Syrian regime. Bullets hit civilians, and wounded a displaced person from the Damascus countryside at the Jarablus border crossing with Turkey. The media kept silent about the incident, saying that the bullets were fired in the air, and this is contrary to the truth.

A civilian was severely beaten at the beginning of last August by a member of the “Military Police” during a demonstration in front of an educational center in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, he was brutally assaulted for writing slogans against Turkey and its loyal factions on one of the walls of the educational center.

The list goes on of kidnappings, arrests, thefts and bombings that occur on a daily basis, amid the inability of the Turkish-backed factions to stop them, which makes the areas under the control of the Turkish rapist not good places to live. Most of the people now want to leave, but their living conditions prevent them from doing so. At the same time, civilians hold Turkey responsible for the chaos and security chaos taking place in its areas of control, and it has imposed itself as a guardian of the Syrian people by usurping their land.

The young man, “Muwaffaq Awad al-Hilal,” a displaced person from the northern countryside of Hama and studying at the Faculty of Engineering in the city of Azaz, told Aso News Network that as soon as he entered the areas controlled by the factions loyal to the Turkish occupation, he felt fear, because there is no good governance system governing these areas and the chaotic feature prevails the details of living in these areas. He adds that when the passers-by reach the “Gaza” or “Deir Ballout” border crossings, the elements begin to scrutinize and search and try to create problems, to insult civilians through profanity, beatings, arrests, or imposing financial taxes, despite the presence of these factions within a unified military body, but they are similar to “mafia” gangs. Villages and towns are grouped, each following a different methodology.

Mowaffaq Awad Al-Hilal pointed out that every time he tries to enter the city for the purpose of studying, a quarrel occurs, or a fight and kidnapping occurs, and the features of security and stability are absent, and this burdens civilians greatly, especially the displaced who have no other alternative to leave those areas.

Hilal says that everything that is happening within the areas of influence of the Turkish rapist and the factions loyal to him must be put to an end, and work must be done to provide security and stability within these areas as a first step, and if Turkey is serious about securing corridors for refugees in Turkey, it must contribute to securing security and stability, but he goes back and says this is Impossible under the occupation of Turkey and undisciplined armed factions.

“Khaled al-Daqsi,” an elderly man from the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, complains that his work has been affected by the continuing security chaos within the city. He says that he owns three shops selling home furniture on the main street in the city center, and he used to work until late at night previously. But now he is forced to close since eight in the evening, for fear of being attacked by an armed gang or theft or looting by the armed Syrian factions loyal to the Turkish rapist.

He added, every time a clan or factional fighting occurred inside the city, his work was suspended for several days, in addition to material damage to markets and residential homes as a result of armed clashes within residential neighborhoods.
Cases of security chaos have increased remarkably this year, under the watchful eye of the Turks, who, along with the factions, control the area, and one of the most important reasons is the indiscriminate spread of weapons and their access to civilians, even children under the age of 18.

One of the civilians says that there are dozens of stores that sell weapons to civilians, and they have become widespread like any other store selling foodstuffs or bakeries, and this is what causes crimes, especially kidnappings at gunpoint, with the aim of obtaining a ransom, which is one of the main concerns Comforting civilians, or luring civilians at night and then threatening and killing them for theft, as he described it.

Al-Daqsi expresses his concern over the continuation of this complete chaos within the usurped areas of Turkey, with the lack of a real will on the part of the factions to put an end to it, despite the factions’ claim to pursue criminals and hand them over to the judiciary, and to carry out security campaigns against ISIS cells, but there are no indications of the factions’ interest As the armed factions are among the beneficiaries of the continuing chaos, they practice violations freely.

It is worth noting that the usurping government of Turkey calls the areas under its control in the northern countryside of Aleppo and the areas of Serêkaniyê / Ras al-Ain and Tal Abiyad “safe areas” and suitable for living in, and is working to implement a project to return a million Syrian refugees from Turkey and resettle them in settlements and camps inside Syrian territory. Ignoring the state of security chaos, the continuous violations against the people, and the real reality of those areas.