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Security Breakdown in Areas Under Turkish Control: Armed Robbery and Attacks on Civilian Homes
On Saturday night, members of the “Liwa al-Samarkan” faction, operating within the ranks of the “Free Syrian Army” allied with Turkey, carried out an armed robbery on an elderly man’s house in the Ruwaita village, in the Mabatli district of Afrin. The incident resulted in an attack on the elderly man's wife and the theft of gold jewelry and some cash. The assailants then left the house amid chaos and destruction. It is noted that the owner of the house was forcibly displaced from his village and was recently allowed back to his home to renovate it and harvest his olive crop.
This incident occurs amidst ongoing chaos and insecurity in areas controlled by factions loyal to Turkey, where repeated assaults on civilians have increased fears among residents and threatened their security and stability. In a related context, another incident took place on September 22, when a man in his fifties from Jaqli Juma village in the Jindires area of Afrin, along with his wife, was assaulted by a armed group. They were beaten, restrained, and then robbed of their jewelry, money, and mobile phones. Sources indicated that the attackers were dressed in uniforms resembling those of the Syrian government security forces, reflecting a pattern of forcibly abducting and extorting civilians in the region.
