Mercenaries kidnapped 78 civilians in Afrin in the month of July

“In July, Turkish state intelligence and mercenaries kidnapped 78 citizens, including 4 women. In addition, 12 people, including one woman, were tortured. The fate of 3 missing children is unknown," said Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson.

Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson Ibrahim Şêxo said that 78 citizens have been kidnapped by Turkey-linked mercenaries in Afrin.

On 3 August, a boy named Xelîl Nîhad Şêxo (16) from the village of Fêrkan in the Şera district of Afrin was shot by Turkish soldiers and his body was delivered to his family after his organs were stolen in a hospital in Kilis where he was taken for treatment.

Speaking to ANHA about the brutality of the Turkish state and the crimes it has carried out in the past month, Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson Ibrahim Şêxo said that what happened to the child named Xelîl Nîhad Şêxo is a war crime, and international organizations and children's rights organizations should hold the Turkish state accountable for it.

Turkish soldiers have slaughtered 464 Syrian citizens on the border lines since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Şêxo said, adding: “The practices of the Turkish state against Syrian civilians, especially in Afrin are against international law.”

78 citizens kidnapped in July

Sharing the balance sheet of the crimes committed by the Turkish state in Afrin during the month of July, Şêxo said: “Turkish state intelligence and mercenaries kidnapped 78 citizens, including 4 women. In addition, 12 people, including one woman, were tortured. The fate of 3 missing children is unknown.”

According to information obtained from sources in Afrin, Şêxo added that the Emşat mercenaries linked to the Turkish state seized the sumac and walnut harvest of the people in the villages of Mabata district, together with the Samarkand mercenaries under the direction of a group called Abu Cihat.

Destruction of nature continues

Stating that the occupiers also target nature in the region, Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson Ibrahim Şêxo said: “The foreign invaders who settled in the region cut trees to make a way between the villages of Hec Qasimo and Misteşûra in Mabata. The Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) stated that 20 machines were brought to the area for digging.”