Militias benefit from olive oil stolen from Afrin

According to sources of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the Turkish government is again exporting olive oil from the Syrian-Kurdish region of Afrin – which has been occupied since March 2018 – to Germany and other EU countries. The internet portal "Afrinpost" published proof that the Turkish army and allied Syrian mercenaries have been plundering the olive supplies and plantations in the northwest of Syria for months, and Turkish companies have been transporting the stolen olive oil to Turkey via the border crossing Hamam, to the west of Afrin City. Then, it is processed and prepared for export.

"Before the beginning of the Syrian revolt in 2011, Kurdish farmers were able to sell their olive oil for more than four US dollars per kilogram. This year, they are getting less than half of that, often only a third," reported Dr. Kamal Sido, the STP's Middle East Consultant. The only customers are members of the "Turkish Agricultural Credit Cooperative" (Türkiye Tar?m Kredi Kooperatifleri). In most cases, leaders of the Turkish-backed Syrian-Islamist militias acted as intermediaries. The militias are known to steal or extort olive oil – sometimes up to 20 tons per day. The total loss for the region's olive industry in the current season is estimated at 65 to 80 million US dollars. "Of course, this money is not gone – it just goes to other places. A part remains directly with the Islamist militias of the region. With the income from these exports, Turkey also finances its militias in other regions," Sido explained.

The policy of looting and pillaging in Afrin has led to the total destruction of what was once one of the richest regions of Syria. Without help from family members living abroad, especially in Germany, the people of Afrin would not be able to survive. Most of the Kurdish people in Afrin are also receiving no support from aid organizations – which are controlled by the Turkish government and Islamist associations.

According to various estimates, there are about 18 million olive trees in Afrin. They produce high-quality fruit. Olives are the most important agricultural product of the region. The harvest season –including pre and post processing – is from September to February.