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Organization: Armed Gangs Turn Afrin Displaced People into Hostages in Nubl and Al-Zahraa
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Organized extortion operations on roads form an integrated system combining drug trafficking and looting of displaced people's properties for illegal gains
The organization "Syrians for Truth and Justice" reviewed a series of systematic violations carried out by armed groups in the towns of Nubl and Al-Zahraa in northern Aleppo countryside, targeting displaced people from the Kurdish region of Afrin following the Turkish military operation "Olive Branch" in 2018.
The violations vary between setting up random checkpoints, confiscating private cars and public transport buses, financially extorting their owners, and blocking vital roads connecting the Shahba and Sherawa regions with Aleppo city.
Interviews conducted by the organization with six local sources revealed the involvement of influential families in both towns, especially from the "Zam" and "Sharbo" families, in managing these armed groups that operate outside the control of official security agencies.
Source "Zakaria Ali" links these groups' activities to drug trafficking, where displaced people are used as leverage against military forces affiliated with the Self-Administration to release detained drug dealers and smugglers.
Microbus driver "Shirwan Kali" reported that his vehicle was detained for more than 40 days, subjected to theft and vandalism, indicating that the armed men used live ammunition to intimidate passengers and force them to leave their vehicles.
Displaced person "Jodi Muhammad" explained that he was forced to rebuy his stolen car for $5,500 after two and a half months of its confiscation, noting that trading stolen goods has become routine among the armed men.
Displaced people are forced to take alternative long and costly routes to avoid the armed groups' concentration points, tripling their transportation costs despite their already deteriorating economic conditions.
The organization points out that these practices violate Syrian constitution and laws that guarantee freedom of movement and protection of private property, and fall under the crimes of forming criminal gangs and highway robbery according to Syrian criminal law.
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