Mass grave containing 35 bodies found in northwest Syria’s Afrin
Mass grave containing 35 bodies found in northwest Syria’s Afrin
Ankara claimed the bodies were buried in the grave by the Kurdish forces that used to control the area, but a local human rights organisation said the bodies likely belonged to missing locals held at prisons run by Turkish-backed forces.
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According to UN estimates, more than 150,000 Kurds have been displaced from Afrin since 2018 [Getty]
A mass grave containing 35 bodies in sacks has been found in Afrin, northwest Syria, the Turkish defence ministry said on Wednesday.
Ankara said the bodies were buried in the grave by the Kurdish forces that used to control the area.
However, a local human rights organisation said the bodies likely belonged to missing locals held at prisons run by Turkish-backed forces.
More than 1,100 people from Afrin have been disappeared since Turkey and its allied Syrian rebel groups took control of the area in 2018, according to the Rojava Information Centre, a local monitor.
According to UN estimates, more than 150,000 Kurds have been displaced from Afrin since 2018.
The UN’s human rights chief called in late 2020 for "an alarming pattern of grave violations… such as increased killings, kidnappings, and unlawful transfers of people, as well as seizures of land and properties" be investigated.
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