URFA – The Kurdish press has repeatedly brought up the scandals of the looting of industry in Aleppo, olives in Afrin, and the grains in the cities of Serêkaniye and Girê Sipî, which the public could only knew after journalisys Serdal Akinan wrote about it.

 

Journalist Serdar Akinal spoke about some of the information he gained about the looting and plunder that took place during the 10-year civil war in Syria, where he stated that he went for documentary work in a program he attended on KRT TV recently. Stating that the most important industrial facilities in Syria was dismanted and brought to Turkey, Akinan told that the husband of a journalist who is the Ankara represantative of a newspaper was behind this looting. Akinan also pointed out that the company that uses the olives from Syria to make olive oils is the brother of a Minister.

 

These facts expressed by Akinan have always been the subjects of news many times in the Kurdish press. It was revealed to the public with evidence of how industry was looted in Aleppo, olive trees and olive oil in Afrin, and grains in warehouses or fields in Serêkaniye and Girê Sipî cities.

 

THEY TRANSFERRED THE OLIVES FROM EFRIN TO TURKEY

 

It was known that there were between 18-20 million olive trees in Afrin before the attacks of paramilitary groups called Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Turkey.  In other words, the main livelihood of the city was olives and 270 thousand tons of olive oil was produced annually. 15 thousand hectares of olive groves and forests were destroyed in the city, which Turkey and the FSA took under their control with the attack on 20 January 2018. Olive oil production decreased to 75 thousand tons.

 

When the city fell and FSA and Turkey,  the olives produced were brought to Turkey from the Bab El Selame gate by Arab traders, and sold in the markets here. The olives were branded as 'Arab olives' throught this developing network and reached even the markets in Iraq. The olive oils were sold as Turkish Olive Oil and sold to European Union member states. 

 

OLIVE OIL ON SWİTZERLAND PARLIAMENTARY AGENDA

 

In the details of the article, there is information about Bernhard Guhl, a deputy from the Conservative Democratic Party in Switzerland, bringing the olives of Afrin to Turkey, processing them and selling them to the European Union (EU) on the parliamentary agenda. In his speech in the parliament, Guhl said, "Olive groves in Afrin, which is under Turkish occupation, are being looted by Turkish forces and the militants they support. They sell the stolen olives to Spain."

 

16 THOUSAND HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS STOLEN

 

The bombing and destruction of historical sites thousands of years old in Afrin, which has hosted many civilizations, was also among the topics covered by the Kurdish press. Darê Hills, declared as the most important ancient city of Syria by UNESCO, was bombed by warplanes. As a result of the attacks, Nebi Huri Castle, Marmaron Temple and many Yazidi faith centers were destroyed. Afrin, where even the drinking water centers were bombed, was called the 'Second Aleppo' due to the destruction it went through. 

 

Thousands of historical artifacts were stolen and moved to Turkey in the city under the control of Turkey and FSA.Although it is estimated that approximately 16 thousand pieces of historical artifacts have been brought to Turkey so far, this number is much higher, according to Syrian Museum Director Mehmud Hemud! The "Stolen Artifacts Investigation Committee" established by the museum management also announced that the exact number of lost historical artifacts could not be determined.

 

176 THOUSAND TONS OF GRAIN WAS LOOTED

 

The Syrian National Army (SMO) backed by Turkey attacked the cities of Serêkaniye and Girê Sipî on October 9, 2019 and took the cities under its control. Wheat and barley stored in the silos of Shergirat and Dehliz in both cities were transported to Turkey, just like the olives in Afrin.

 

During the periods when the people in Girê Sipî could not find bread and rebelled, 176,000 tons of grain were transported from both cities to Turkey. This scandal, which has been the subject of many news articles, was revealed with the corruption in the transportation tender of TMO Urfa Branch Deputy Director Abdurrahman Bağlı, who is the brother of Gökhan Gürbüz, Head of the Purchasing and Conservation Department of the General Directorate of Agricultural Products in Turkey, and Abdurrahman Bağlı, the brother of former AKP deputy Mazhar Bağlı. 

 

Even the doors, windows and furniture of the houses of citizens were looted in cities under the control of paramilitary groups called SMO and FSA, supported by Turkey, and the looting of workplaces have become the subject of news articles loads of times.

 

A CITIES WHOLE INDUSTRY WAS LOOTED

 

The looting in Aleppo which was under the control of Turkey and Saudi Arabia backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been written by the Kurdish press many times as well. Journalist Abdurrahman Gök wrote, "They stole the whole industry of a city' back then. In the relevant part of the news, it was noted that million-dollar factories and machines were plundered and looted. 

 

 

MA / Barış Polat