The Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization stated that local authorities affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government in the city of Jandairis, affiliated with Afrin in northwestern Syria, under orders from the “Turkish occupation,” issued a decision informing owners of land and olive groves in the village of Hamam, in the Jandairis subdistrict, of the need to bring proof of their property near a border crossing in the center of the village. This is in preparation for the road expansion and the construction of a large square with an area exceeding 10 hectares.
The targeted lands include ancient olive groves owned by more than eight families from the village. The project may extend to the village of Hajj Iskandar, about 5 kilometers from the crossing.
According to a statement by the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization, residents initially objected to the decision, but were forced to accept it under “pressure and fear of repercussions of rejection,” with promises from the faction controlling the village and the Jandairis Local Council that they would later be compensated for the value of the land and trees. The organization expressed concern about “the illegal seizure of residents’ property,” noting that the region is experiencing a state of “fear and anxiety” due to the ambiguity surrounding the decision. The report cited previous experiences, such as “the Turkish occupation authorities uprooting hundreds of olive trees in the village of Hamam to expand the road without providing any compensation,” as well as the practices of the “defunct Syrian regime,” which submerged thousands of hectares of land in the Bulbul district and Lake Maidanki without compensating their owners.
The organization urged residents not to be “drawn into false promises” or to surrender their lands and property to any party, emphasizing that “the olive tree is the identity of Afrin/Çayi Kermanç,” and warned against repeating the fate of the Palestinians who were “deprived of their villages and property and became refugees.”
Members of the Joint Force Seize Livestock in the Northern Aleppo Countryside
In another context, the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization documented an incident in which armed men from the Joint Force (Hamzat-Amshat), stationed in the village of Al-Nairbiyah in the northern Aleppo countryside, seized two heads of livestock at gunpoint on Saturday, September 6, 2025. According to local sources, three armed men intercepted children herding livestock in the vicinity of the village and threatened them at gunpoint, forcing them to hand over the two sheep owned by Mohammed Hammadi. Following the incident, the armed men fled, leaving the children in a state of “fear and panic.”
The report indicated that this incident is part of a “long series of daily violations” committed by “remnants of the Turkish-backed settlers and militants” in the areas of Al-Shahba and Afrin, amid the “absence of any deterrent,” deepening the “state of insecurity,” especially among children and women.
توسيع معبر حدودي مع تركيا في عفرين يهدد ممتلكات السكان الكرد الأصليين
