ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey and its Syrian proxies took over the Kurdish-majority canton of Afrin in northwest Syria in March 2018. Since then “arbitrary arrests, detention, and pillaging became pervasive” throughout Afrin, the UN Human Rights Council has learned.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic submitted its findings, gathered between July 11, 2018 and January 10, 2019, to the Human Rights Council on Thursday.
It estimates more than 50 armed groups, including Free Syrian Army (FSA) affiliates, are active around the Afrin and Azaz areas in northwest Syria, contributing to the collapse of law and order, a declining security situation, and widespread abuses against civilians without redress.
“The Commission was unable to determine whether Turkish authorities were able to control such conduct,” the report said.
Security collapse
Turkey and Turkish-backed groups launched Operation Olive Branch on January 20, 2018 to push the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) back from Turkey’s southern border.
Ankara believes the YPG is a Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought the Turkish state since the 1980s for greater Kurdish political and cultural rights.
Prior to the Turkish incursion, Afrin had been relatively untouched by Syria’s protracted civil war, home to thousands of internally displaced people from elsewhere in the country.
In the absence of regime forces, the region’s Kurds had set up their own administration. This was removed by Olive Branch forces and a Turkish-backed administration put in its place.
“With the conclusion of Operation Olive Branch on 18 March 2018, civilians in Afrin immediately witnessed an end to large-scale military operations,” the Commission report read. “The reprieve was short-lived, however, as overall security on the ground remained precarious throughout the reporting period.”
Turkish backed Syrian proxies who seized Afrin city center photographed looting businesses and belongings. File photo: AFP
Fighting for control over pockets of territory between the myriad armed factions increased significantly in the months after the operation concluded.
“Frequent clashes included the use of car bombs and improvised explosive devices, particularly in the densely populated centers of Afrin and Azaz cities, which killed and injured dozens of civilians, including women and children,” the report added.
Twelve civilians were killed and scores more injured on December 16 when a car bomb exploded in al-Hal vegetable market in Afrin city.
A separate bombing on January 20, exactly a year after Olive Branch began, killed three civilians and wounded eight in downtown Afrin.
Landmines and explosive remnants of war also continue to take a toll on the rural population.
Kidnap for ransom
The collapsing security situation has led to a rise in the number of abductions and demands for ransom payments, the report stated.
“Owing to the lack of an effective security apparatus and attendant absence of the rule of law, the most common violations perpetrated in Afrin involved frequent abductions by armed groups and criminal gangs,” the report said.
“As in Idlib, numerous physicians, pharmacists, and other civilians perceived as affluent or their children were abducted for ransom. In some instances, individuals were re-abducted after having been released.”
It is unclear who is responsible for the spate of abductions, but victims refer generally to FSA fighters and their affiliates or to criminal gangs.
Demands for ransom ranged from a few hundred dollars to more than $100,000, researchers said.
“Victims and their families in Afrin reported such cases to military police, civilian police, and Turkish authorities, with little to no effect,” the report added.
Arrests and torture
Allegations of torture have also emerged from Afrin, with perpetrators often targetting Kurds, activists, and supporters of Kurdish parties.
“Numerous cases involving arbitrary arrests and detentions by armed group members also included credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment, often targeting individuals of Kurdish origin, including activists openly critical of armed groups and those perceived to be so,” the report stated.
“Similarly, individuals accused of being supportive of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) or YPG were detained by members of unidentified armed groups and subsequently interrogated by both armed group members and Turkish officers.”
Those arrested often see their property confiscated, including vehicles and livestock, according to the Commission.
Pillaging and extortion
Afrin residents offered several accounts of armed groups pillaging their homes and businesses.
“The cultivation of olive trees remains a major source of income for thousands of farmers in the district, and the mass pillaging of olive harvests by armed group members during peak season deprived many of their livelihoods,” the report warned.
Reports emerged late last year of Turkey selling olive oil on the European market expropriated from Afrin’s farmers.
Turkish and Free Syrian Army soldiers wave flags in the city center of Afrin. File photo: Hasan Kirmizitas / AP
“In an effort to avoid situations of appropriation, other victims acquiesced to a ‘tax’ levied against them by members of armed groups,” the Commission said.
Free movement has also been greatly curtailed in the region, with a rainbow of checkpoints demanding money and abusing civilians.
“The Commission also received reports of harassment, including of women, by armed group members and demands for bribes from individuals wishing to pass checkpoints,” it added.
‘War crimes’
Based on its findings, the report accuses armed groups of committing “war crimes” against the civilian population.
“The Commission finds there are reasonable grounds to believe that armed group members in Afrin committed the war crimes of hostage-taking, cruel treatment, torture and pillage,” it said.
The report noted it was unable to determine the extent of Turkish knowledge of the abuses taking place or whether in was in a position to prevent them.
“The Commission remains unable to confirm the precise extent to which Afrin and its environs were under the control of Turkish forces or armed groups at the time of writing, nor whether Turkish forces were capable of exercising actual authority and carrying out governmental functions in Afrin.”
When images emerged of Syrian proxy forces looting the homes and businesses of Afrin civilians in the immediate aftermath of the operation, Turkey pledged to investigate the incident and punish those responsible.
Once ISIS has been defeated in Syria’s northeast, the YPG has said it will refocus its efforts on forcing Turkish troops out of Afrin.