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{{Short description|City in Syria}} | |||
{{Copyedit|date=March 2007}} | |||
{{pp-extended|small=yes}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} | |||
{{Infobox settlement | |||
| official_name = Afrin | |||
| native_name = {{lang|ku|Efrîn}}<br />{{lang|ar|عفرين}} | |||
| other_name = | |||
| settlement_type = City | |||
| image_skyline = Afrin,south.jpg | |||
| image_caption = Afrin, 2009 | |||
| pushpin_map = Syria | |||
| coordinates = {{coord|36|30|30|N|36|52|9|E|region:SY|display=inline,title}} | |||
| subdivision_type = ] | |||
| subdivision_name = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} ] | |||
| subdivision_type1 = ] | |||
| subdivision_name1 = ] | |||
| subdivision_type2 = ] | |||
| subdivision_name2 = ] | |||
| subdivision_type3 = ] | |||
| subdivision_name3 = ] | |||
| subdivision_type4 = | |||
| subdivision_name4 = | |||
| established_title = <!-- Settled --> | |||
| established_date = | |||
| leader_title = | |||
| leader_name = | |||
| unit_pref = Metric <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> | |||
| area_total_km2 = 3,850 | |||
| area_land_km2 = | |||
| area_water_km2 = | |||
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref> tags--> | |||
| elevation_m = 270 | |||
| population_footnotes = <ref name="CBS">. ] (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. {{in lang|ar}}</ref> | |||
| population_total = | |||
70.000 | |||
| population_as_of = 2020 census | |||
| timezone = ] | |||
| utc_offset = +2 | |||
| timezone_DST = ] | |||
| utc_offset_DST = +3 | |||
| postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> | |||
| postal_code = | |||
| area_code = | |||
| website = | |||
| footnotes = | |||
| parts_type = Control | |||
| parts_style = para | |||
| p1 = {{TUR}}<br />{{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} ] | |||
| name = | |||
| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=12 |height=250 |stroke-width=2 | {{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}} | |||
}} | |||
'''Afrin''' ({{langx|ar|عفرين|translit=Ifrīn}}; {{langx|ku|Efrîn}}) is a ] majority city in northern ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rojava's Sustainability and the PKK's Regional Strategy {{!}} The Washington Institute |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/rojavas-sustainability-and-pkks-regional-strategy |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.washingtoninstitute.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-12 |title=Hundreds of civilians flee as Turkish forces advance on Syria's Afrin city |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20180312-syria-afrin-city-hundreds-civilians-flee-turkish-forces |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> In the ], it is part of the ]. The total population of the district {{As of|2020|lc=y}} was recorded at 172,095 people, of whom 70,000 lived in the town of Afrin itself. | |||
'''Afrin''' ({{lang-ku|Efrîn}}, {{lang-ar|عفرين}} ''ʿAfrīn'') is a district of ], ], in a region known as ]. The district consists of the town of the same name with 80,000 inhabitants, as well as 366 surrounding villages. | |||
The town and district are named after the ]. The city is split into two distinct halves by the river. As a result of ], the ] of the ] ("Rojava" or "AANES") withdrew after the city's ] from Afrin on 17 March 2018 and the ] and ] captured Afrin the next day, bringing it under the ].<ref name=oust>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43447624|title=Syria war: Turkey-backed forces oust Kurds from heart of Afrin|work=]|date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625163036/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43447624|archive-date=25 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
'''Afrin''' is the designation both for a district region in the Syrian province Aleppo , as well as for the government city of the same name (with approximately 80,000 inhabitants). The region Afrin known as , far admits. The district has a surface of 3.850 square kilometer and e.g. consists of 7 municipalities (Afrin (center), Jindêrês, Sharan, Mahbata/Mahbatli, Rajo, Bulbul, Shiyê) with 366 villages like Qatma, Kastall, Qîbar, Rajo and Midan Akbes. The name Afrîn means on Kurdish literally fruitfully creation. | |||
While thousands fled as the ] of the AANES retreated, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people remained in Afrin city after the Turkish capture.<ref name="rudaw.net">{{cite news|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/120420183|title=Turkish-backed interim council elected in Afrin: state media|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413043639/http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/120420183|archive-date=13 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==History== | |||
''This article is based on a translation of the ] of the ] on ] ]'' | |||
{{Quote box|width=|align=left|quote=...] ...he/they ...ed away together (?),<br /> and kings (?) ed me up with ... . <br /> raise up the hand to tar-<br /> hunzas, <br /> and [...|source= Translation of the surviving inscription from the Afrin Stele.<ref name=hauwkins>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TwiY96cunQC&pg=PA387|title=Inscriptions of the Iron Age: Part 1: Text, Introduction, Karatepe, Karkamis, Tell Ahmar, Maras, Malatya, Commagene. Part 2: Text, Amuq, Aleppo, Hama, Tabal, Assur Letters, Miscellaneous, Seals, Indices. Part 3: Plates|year=2000|page=387|author=John David Hawkins|publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110804201|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411222059/https://books.google.com/books?id=6TwiY96cunQC&pg=PA387|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>}} | |||
About 8 km south of the town of Afrin, there are the remains of a ] known as ]. In a field northwest of the city, a 9th or 8th century BC ] stele (named the Afrin stele) was discovered; it is a fragment of a full stele as only the middle section survives, which in turn is damaged with the right side destroyed, taking with it parts of the right edge of the front and left edge of the back.<ref name=hauwkins2>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TwiY96cunQC&pg=PA386|title=Inscriptions of the Iron Age: Part 1: Text, Introduction, Karatepe, Karkamis, Tell Ahmar, Maras, Malatya, Commagene. Part 2: Text, Amuq, Aleppo, Hama, Tabal, Assur Letters, Miscellaneous, Seals, Indices. Part 3: Plates|year=2000|page=386|author=John David Hawkins|publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110804201|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411221731/https://books.google.com/books?id=6TwiY96cunQC&pg=PA386|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The stele's front shows a part of a relief; a short fringed kilt usually worn by ], the Hittite storm god, is shown. The city fell under the control of the ] between the 9th and 6th centuries BC, and subsequently under the ], ] and ]<ref name="hauwkins2" /> | |||
] overlooking the Afrin once served as a military base for the ] when it conducted campaigns against the ] to the north. By the ], it had become an important centre for Christianity with its own bishop.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42788179|title=How historical Afrin became a prize worth a war|last=Darke|first=Diana|date=2018|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-01-26|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722142527/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42788179|archive-date=22 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
{{Syria-geo-stub}} | |||
The Afrin Valley was part of ] until the ] in 637.<ref>{{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Palmer |title=The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles |date=1993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VdXMK4CYRToC&pg=PA209 |pages=209, 525 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |isbn=9780853232384 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230500/https://books.google.ch/books?id=VdXMK4CYRToC&pg=PA209 |archive-date=20 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Afrin was known as ''Oinoparas'' ({{langx|grc-x-koine|Οινοπάρας}}) in the ]; in the Roman era the name became ''Ufrenus'', whence the Arab vernacular ''ʿAfrīn, ʿIfrīn'', adopted as Kurdish ''Efrîn''. | |||
{{coor title dms|36|30|36|N|36|52|04|E|region:SY_type:city(20000)}} | |||
The area was briefly conquered by the ] but again came under ] in 1260 following the ]. In the ], the area was part of the ]. | |||
] | |||
Although it is not contiguous with the main ], the Afrin valley seems to have seen Kurdish settlement by at least the 16th-17th centuries, as a British traveller by the name William Biddulph, records in 1599 that a people, called ''Coords,'' who "Worship the Devil", dwell in the mountains between ] and ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Maclean|first=Gerald Martin|date=2019-10-25|title=British Travellers, the Kurds, and Kurdistan: a brief literary history, c. 1520-1673|url=https://www.kurdishstudies.net/journal/ks/article/view/461|journal=Kurdish Studies|language=en|volume=7|issue=2|pages=113–134|doi=10.33182/ks.v7i2.461|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |s2cid=211668756 |issn=2051-4891}}</ref> It is likely that these were ], who have historically been accused of being devil-worshippers by outsiders.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=YAZIDIS i. GENERAL|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2330-4804_eiro_com_1252|access-date=2021-06-09|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica Online|doi=10.1163/2330-4804_eiro_com_1252 }}</ref> | |||
] | |||
] | |||
In 18th century, Afrin was referred to as the ''Sancak of the Kurds'' in Ottoman documents.<ref>{{cite book |first=Stefan |last=Winter |chapter=Les Kurdes du Nord-Ouest syrien et l’État ottoman, 1690-1750 |url=https://www.academia.edu/3809313| editor-first=Mohammad |editor-last=Afifi |title=Sociétés rurales ottomanes |location=Cairo |publisher=IFAO |year=2005 |pages=243–258 |isbn=2724704118 }}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Afrin is a pure Kurdish .The first resistence against French troops was based on DECO and Shikakies tribes in northern Afrin. The city was later built by France to make it as a commercial center | |||
===Modern era=== | |||
With the drawing of the ] in 1923, Afrin became detached from Kilis Province and was part of ] (i.e. the ], ], ]) and was eventually incorporated in modern Syria at the state's formation in 1961. | |||
The town of Afrin was founded as a market in the 19th century. In 1929, the number of permanent residents was 800, growing to 7,000 by 1968. The town was developed by France under the ]. The main square is Afrin bus station, and the old settlement area stretches northward on the slope of a hill, but more recently habitations have spread to the other side of the river and extend as far to the south-east as the neighboring village of ].<!--I got this from google maps as the neighboring settlement; it seems to agree with "Turanda" in Palmer (1993), but the Arabic script in google maps actually reads ''al-trbfah'' or similar, so maybe this is an error. It's relevant because if it's "Turanda" its the site of an 8th-century Arab fort. --> | |||
Since the Turkish annexation of ] in 1939, the Afrin District is now almost surrounded by the ], apart from the border with the ] to the east and a short border with the ] to the southeast. | |||
There was an outbreak of civil unrest on 16 March 2004, during which three people were killed by ]. In 1999, the arrest of Kurdish leader ] (by the ] in ], Kenya in February 1999)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weiner |first=Tim |date=February 20, 1999 |title=U.S. Helped Turkey Find and Capture Kurd Rebel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/20/world/us-helped-turkey-find-and-capture-kurd-rebel.html |access-date=October 15, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> triggered renewed clashes between Kurdish protesters and the police. | |||
===Syrian Civil War=== | |||
{{Main|Afrin Canton}} | |||
] | |||
During the ], Syrian government forces withdrew from the city in the summer of 2012. The People's Defense Units took control of the city soon afterward.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/4978.html |title=More Kurdish Cities Liberated As Syrian Army Withdraws from Area |access-date=2012-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721142617/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/4978.html |archive-date=21 July 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Liberated Kurdish Cities in Syria Move into Next Phase |url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/4999.html|newspaper=Rudaw|date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728023132/http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/4999.html|archive-date=28 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kurdish muscle flexing|url=http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=291764|newspaper=]|date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120111603/http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=291764|archive-date=20 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Afrin Canton as a '']'' autonomous part was declared on 29 January 2014,<ref name=mednuce>{{cite web|url=http://mednuce.com/en//haber/2344/democratic-autonomy-has-declared-in-afrin-canton-in-rojava.html|title=Democratic autonomy has declared in Afrin canton in Rojava|publisher=Mednuce|date=29 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706022020/http://mednuce.com/en//haber/2344/democratic-autonomy-has-declared-in-afrin-canton-in-rojava.html|archive-date=6 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=firat>{{cite web|url=http://supportkurds.org/news/monday-27-january-2013/|title=After Cizîre, Kobanê Canton has been declared|date=28 January 2014 |publisher=Firat News|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140920090656/http://supportkurds.org/news/monday-27-january-2013/|archive-date=20 September 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> the town of Afrin being the administrative center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://civiroglu.net/the-constitution-of-the-rojava-cantons/|title=The Constitution of the Rojava Cantons; Personal Website of Mutlu Civiroglu|date=28 April 2014 |publisher=civiroglu.net|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140622054728/http://civiroglu.net/the-constitution-of-the-rojava-cantons/|archive-date=22 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syria's Kurds Warn Afrin Could Be The New Kobani|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/syria-afrin_n_6121632.html|access-date=4 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212163438/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/syria-afrin_n_6121632.html|archive-date=12 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The assembly elected ] prime minister, who later appointed ] and ] to work as deputies.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109190751/http://www.ozgur-gundem.com/?haberID=96419&action=haber_detay&module=nuce |date=9 November 2014 }} in ]</ref> | |||
Between 2012 and 2018, the YPG, the official defence force of the canton, was criticized for recruiting child soldiers, committing arbitrary arrests and failing to address unsolved killings and disappearances. According to the reports, the YPG and Asayish were also accused of forcibly recruiting civilians, arresting political activists and displacing Arabs whose homes were later stolen and looted. Displaced Arabs accused the Kurdish security forces of imposing taxes and restrictions on the population in order to force them to leave and change the demography.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sn4hr.org/blog/2016/04/06/20310/ |title=Not Less than 517 Arbitrary Arrests in March 2016 - Syrian Network for Human Rights |date=6 April 2016 |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031548/http://sn4hr.org/blog/2016/04/06/20310/ |archive-date=16 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/54fd6c884.pdf |title=Syria: Military Service, Mandatory Self-Defence Duty and Recruitment to the YPG |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628225920/https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/54fd6c884.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://setav.org/en/assets/uploads/2018/10/45_Analysis.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031815/https://setav.org/en/assets/uploads/2018/10/45_Analysis.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rsf.org/en/news/how-kurdistans-pyd-keeps-media-and-news-providers-line |title=How Kurdistan's PYD keeps the media and news providers in line | RSF |date=May 2014 |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031449/https://rsf.org/en/news/how-kurdistans-pyd-keeps-media-and-news-providers-line |archive-date=16 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Human Rights Watch |title=World report 2016: events of 2015. |date=2016 |publisher=Policy Press |isbn=9781447325505 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fOfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT564 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230542/https://books.google.fi/books?id=4fOfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT564&lpg=PT564 |archive-date=20 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/syria-in-afrin-offensive-some-see-turkey-as-liberator-1.713029 |title=Syria: In Afrin offensive, some see Turkey as liberator - the National |date=14 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217062728/https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/syria-in-afrin-offensive-some-see-turkey-as-liberator-1.713029 |archive-date=17 December 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== Turkish military incursion === | |||
{{See also|Operation Olive Branch}} | |||
On 20 January 2018, the Turkish army began the ] alleging that the Government ruling in Afrin were terrorists.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Barwari|first=Rawa|date=3 February 2019|title=Turkey trains 'Syrian' teachers at Islamic school in Afrin, Turkifies curriculum|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/d4f063fb-d139-42ee-b804-33aac81aa0e9|access-date=2020-07-02|website=]}}</ref> On the same day, the ] bombed more than 100 targets in Afrin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gall |first1=Carlotta |title=72 Turkish Jets Bomb U.S.-Backed Kurdish Militias in Syria |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20/world/middleeast/turkey-bombs-kurds-syria.html |work=The New York Times |date=20 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120220635/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20/world/middleeast/turkey-bombs-kurds-syria.html |archive-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 28 January 2018, ] and the British-based ] said that Turkish shelling had seriously damaged the ] at Afrin. Syria called for international pressure on Turkey "to prevent the targeting of archaeological and cultural sites".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-syrian-temple-damaged-in-turkish-raids-against-kurds/|title=Ancient Syrian temple damaged in Turkish raids against Kurds|work=timesofisrael|access-date=28 January 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130091827/https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-syrian-temple-damaged-in-turkish-raids-against-kurds/|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Syrian government says Turkish shelling damaged ancient temple|language=en|work=]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-temple/syrian-government-says-turkish-shelling-damaged-ancient-temple-idUSKBN1FH08F/|url-status=live|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128111242/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-temple/syrian-government-says-turkish-shelling-damaged-ancient-temple-idUSKBN1FH08F|archive-date=28 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2018-01-29|title=Syria war: Turkish air strikes 'damage ancient Afrin temple'|language=en-GB|work=]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42858265|access-date=2021-07-10}}</ref> On 20 February 2018, a Syrian army convoy consisting of 50 vehicles had arrived in Afrin through the Ziyarat border crossing and were deployed to different areas. Five vehicles reached the center of the city of Afrin.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/884b4237-f09d-4730-b503-a7a2485bc493 |title=Pro-Syrian government forces reach central Afrin despite Turkish shelling |publisher=Kurdistan 24 |date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221004404/http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/884b4237-f09d-4730-b503-a7a2485bc493 |archive-date=21 February 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] against the ], 19 January 2018]] | |||
]-controlled territory (green) and ] (red) in October 2019]] | |||
On 14 March 2018, Redur Xelil, the senior official of the ] accused Turkey of settling Arab and Turkmen families in the villages captured by Turkish army. A senior Turkish official denied the accusations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Perry|first=Tom|title=Syrian SDF accuses Ankara of ethnic cleansing in Afrin, Turkey denies|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-populatio-idUSKCN1GP13F|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-11|website=Reuters|date=13 March 2018 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213095552/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-populatio-idUSKCN1GP13F |archive-date=13 December 2018 }}</ref> | |||
On 18 March 2018, on the 58th day of ], the ] and the ] captured Afrin from the YPG and the ].<ref name="oust2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43447624|title=Syria war: Turkey-backed forces oust Kurds from heart of Afrin|date=18 March 2018|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625163036/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43447624|archive-date=25 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly after its capture, SNA fighters ] parts of the city and destroyed numerous Kurdish symbols, including a statue of ], as Turkish Army troops solidified control by raising ] and banners over the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pro-turkish-forces-pillage-afrin-taking-syrian-city-195451166.html|title=Pro-Turkish forces pillage Afrin after taking Syrian city|date=18 March 2018|agency=Yahoo news|language=en-SG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318211748/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pro-turkish-forces-pillage-afrin-taking-syrian-city-195451166.html|archive-date=18 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2018-03-19|title=Syria war: Afrin looted by Turkish-backed rebels|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43457214|access-date=2021-04-04}}</ref> In areas which were captured by the Olive Branch forces, the ] (TRC) has provided population with help which covered the basic needs between 15 February and 15 March 2018.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Turkey {{!}} Syria: Latest Developments in Afrin District (as of 19 Mar 2018)|url=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/latest_developments_in_afrin_district_20180319_final.pdf|website=]}}</ref> | |||
After the capture of Afrin by the Turkish led forces, the city came under the control of the ], which provides the administration.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aydıntaşbaş|first=Asli|date=2020-05-28|title=A new Gaza: Turkey's border policy in northern Syria – European Council on Foreign Relations|url=https://ecfr.eu/publication/a_new_gaza_turkeys_border_policy_in_northern_syria/|access-date=2021-07-04|website=ECFR|language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
On 12 April 2018, a Turkish-backed interim council was elected in Afrin, consisting of 20 "elders from the city" – 11 Kurds, eight Arabs, and one Turkmen, Turkish state media reported.<ref>{{cite news|date=12 April 2018|title=Interim local council established in Syria's Afrin|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/interim-local-council-established-in-syrias-afrin-130227|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906040455/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/interim-local-council-established-in-syrias-afrin-130227|archive-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> The council is headed by a Kurd named Zuhair Haider who, in an interview with the state-run Anadolu Agency, expressed his gratitude to Turkey and vowed to "serve" the local citizens.<ref name="rudaw.net" /> | |||
In June 2018, the ] published a report stating that the security situation under Turkish-backed rebel control remains volatile. The ] had received reports of lawlessness and rampant criminality, such as theft, harassment, cruel treatment and other abuse, and murders committed by several Turkish-backed armed groups, especially by the ] and ]. The OCHR stated that civilians, particularly ethnic Kurds from Afrin, are being targeted for discrimination by the same Turkish-backed fighters.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 2018|title=Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Civilians in North-western Syria|url=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ohchr_-_syria_monthly_human_rights_digest_-_june_2018.pdf|url-status=live|magazine=Monthly human rights digest Syria|publisher=United Nations|pages=11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718011510/https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ohchr_-_syria_monthly_human_rights_digest_-_june_2018.pdf|archive-date=18 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
On 2 August 2018, ] reported that the Turkish forces were giving Syrian armed groups free rein to commit serious human rights abuses against civilians in the northern city of Afrin.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Syria: Turkey must stop serious violations by allied groups and its own forces in Afrin|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/08/syria-turkey-must-stop-serious-violations-by-allied-groups-and-its-own-forces-in-afrin/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121091635/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/08/syria-turkey-must-stop-serious-violations-by-allied-groups-and-its-own-forces-in-afrin/|archive-date=21 November 2018|access-date=2018-12-06|website=]|date=2 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The research had found the Turkish-backed fighters have involved in arbitrary detentions, torture, forced displacement, enforced disappearances, confiscation of property, and looting.<ref name=":5" /> | |||
On 28 April 2020, a ] killed 40 people, including 11 children. No group claimed responsibility. Turkey blamed the ] for the attack.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=29 April 2020|title=Dozens killed in fuel-truck blast in Syrian town of Afrin|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/29/dozens-killed-in-fuel-truck-blast-in-syrian-town-of-afrin|access-date=4 July 2021|website=]}}</ref> | |||
On 11 October 2021, a car bombing killed at least six people.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-11|title=Car bomb kills six in northern Syria's Afrin: monitor|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211011-car-bomb-kills-six-in-northern-syria-s-afrin-monitor|access-date=2021-10-12|website=France 24|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-11|title=Car bomb kills four in Syria's Afrin, medical source says|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/car-bomb-kills-four-syrias-afrin-medical-source-says-2021-10-11/|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref> | |||
] entered the city on 13 October 2022, during ] between SNA groups in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/29707-HTS-enters-Afrin-for-first-time:-SOHR|title=HTS enters Afrin for first time: SOHRA|work=]|author=Wladimir van Wilgenburg|date=13 October 2022}}</ref> They later retreated.<ref name="MEE">{{cite news |title=Syria: Turkey to reorganise rebel groups as HTS withdraws from Afrin |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-turkey-reorganise-rebel-groups-hts-withdraws-afrin |access-date=21 October 2024 |publisher=] |date=25 October 2022}}</ref> | |||
== Health care == | |||
The World Health Organization reported that Afrin counted with four hospitals before March 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WHO EMRO {{!}} WHO is providing urgent health services in response to displacements from Afrin {{!}} News {{!}} Media centre|url=http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/who-is-providing-urgent-health-services-in-response-to-displacements-from-afrin.html|access-date=2021-07-10|website=www.emro.who.int}}</ref> Starting April 2018, Physical condition in hospitals and health centers has been improved. Hospital health centers in Afrin district center were put into service. In addition, mobile health screening vehicles, which include a team of doctors and nurses, started to provide health services by visiting all towns and villages at certain intervals since the beginning of April 2018. According to the data obtained from the ] Governorship, 17 thousand 236 people were examined and 2 thousand 288 people were vaccinated in the health units that started operations in early April and where 68 Turkish personnel were employed. 42 children were born in Afrin State Hospital, where 4 new dialysis devices serve.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Türkiye Afrin'de şifa dağıtıyor|url=https://www.trthaber.com/haber/saglik/turkiye-afrinde-sifa-dagitiyor-372422.html|access-date=2021-04-04|website=www.trthaber.com|date=28 June 2018 |language=tr}}</ref> | |||
==Education== | |||
In August 2015, the ] started teaching, with initial programs in literature, engineering and economics, including institutes for medicine, topographic engineering, music and theater, business administration and the ].<ref>{{cite web|date=2016-05-18|title=Syria's first Kurdish university attracts controversy as well as students|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/kurds-rojava-afrin-first-university-ideology-ocalan.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521193644/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/kurds-rojava-afrin-first-university-ideology-ocalan.html|archive-date=21 May 2016|access-date=2016-07-14|publisher=]}}</ref> In January 2018, the university closed due to Operation Olive Branch and did not open after the city was captured by Turkish-backed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/afrin-university-students-continuing-their-studies-at-rojavas-university-h2239.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803074340/http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/afrin-university-students-continuing-their-studies-at-rojavas-university-h2239.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-08-03|title=Afrin University students continuing their studies at Rojava's University - ANHA {{!}} Ajansa Nûçeyan a Hawar|date=2018-08-03|access-date=2019-04-30}}</ref> In October 2019, Turkey announced that the ] will open a Faculty of Education in Afrin.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-10-04|title=Turkish university to open faculties in northern Syria|language=en|work=]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-turkey-education-idUSKBN1WJ0Z3|url-status=live|access-date=2019-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103122403/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-turkey-education-idUSKBN1WJ0Z3|archive-date=3 November 2019}}</ref> In February 2019, it was reported that Turkey was assuming control over the educational matters in Afrin, providing training to teachers and ] the curriculum taught in the schools.<ref name=":0" /> ] also reported that Turkey enabled the establishment of a religious ] in Afrin.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=13 February 2019|title=BBC Monitoring – Essential Media Insight|url=https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/product/c200m69u|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-10|website=monitoring.bbc.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212172305/https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/product/c200m69u |archive-date=12 February 2021 }}</ref> | |||
==Economy== | |||
The ] tree is the symbol of Afrin. Afrin is a production center for olives. Since the Turkish army captured Afrin, the olives have been confiscated by the Turkish backed forces and exported to Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chakraborty|first=Barnini|date=2019-02-01|title=Turkey accused of stealing Syrian olives, passing off oil as their own|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/turkey-accused-of-stealing-syrian-olives-passing-off-oil-as-their-own|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430161257/https://www.foxnews.com/world/turkey-accused-of-stealing-syrian-olives-passing-off-oil-as-their-own|archive-date=30 April 2019|access-date=2019-04-30|website=]|language=en-US}}</ref> ] pressing and ]s are some of the city's local industries. Since the Turkish capture of Afrin, only companies registered in Turkey are permitted to do business in the city.<ref name=":6" /> On 9 November 2018, ]'s ] ] announced the opening of a ] with Afrin dubbed "]" - after the operational name of the Turkish offensive that captured the city months before.<ref>{{cite news|date=9 November 2018|title=Turkey opens gate with neighboring Syria's Afrin: trade minister|work=]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey/turkey-opens-gate-with-neighboring-syrias-afrin-trade-minister-idUSKCN1NE0UU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040622/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey/turkey-opens-gate-with-neighboring-syrias-afrin-trade-minister-idUSKCN1NE0UU|archive-date=10 November 2018}}</ref> | |||
== Infrastructure == | |||
In late 2018 a delegation from the ] inspected the situation in Afrin and instructed a renovation of the electricity infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-26|title=Power delivery project revives hopes of people in Afrin|url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2020/05/power-delivery-project-revives-hopes-of-people-in-afrin/|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Enab Baladi|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-22|title=Connecting electricity to Afrin: economic and profitable project aims to link the region in service and economic and with Turkey|url=http://afrinpost.net/en/2020/11/connecting-electricity-to-afrin-economic-and-profitable-project-aims-to-link-the-region-in-service-and-economic-and-with-turkey/|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Afrinpost-English|language=en-US}}</ref> On 13 January 2019, body filling, water intake structure, reinforced concrete and mechanical cover systems were completed and repaired by the Turkish ] (DSI), for ]. In this way, the water requirement of the city is re-established.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Afrin'de su hatları iyileştiriliyor|url=https://www.trthaber.com/haber/gundem/afrinde-su-hatlari-iyilestiriliyor-358944.html|access-date=2020-07-04|website=www.trthaber.com|date=5 April 2018 |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Yukarı Afrin Barajı'nda su tutulmaya başlandı|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/yukari-afrin-barajinda-su-tutulmaya-baslandi/1363264|access-date=2021-07-10|website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref> | |||
==Climate== | |||
Afrin has a ] with hot dry summers and cool winters with moderate rain and occasional snow. | |||
The average high temperature in January is 9 °C and the average high temperature in July is 34 °C. The snow falls usually in January, February or December. Afrin's yearly rainfall ranges between 500 and 600 mm and the average rate of humidity is 61%. Afrin is surrounded by olive trees. | |||
{{Weather box|location = Afrin | |||
| metric first = Y | |||
| single line = Y | |||
| Jan record high C = 18 | |||
| Feb record high C = 22 | |||
| Mar record high C = 26 | |||
| Apr record high C = 35 | |||
| May record high C = 41 | |||
| Jun record high C = 41 | |||
| Jul record high C = 43 | |||
| Aug record high C = 46 | |||
| Sep record high C = 42 | |||
| Oct record high C = 38 | |||
| Nov record high C = 28 | |||
| Dec record high C = 21 | |||
| year record high C = | |||
| Jan high C = 9 | |||
| Feb high C = 12 | |||
| Mar high C = 16 | |||
| Apr high C = 22 | |||
| May high C = 26 | |||
| Jun high C = 29 | |||
| Jul high C = 34 | |||
| Aug high C = 34 | |||
| Sep high C = 28 | |||
| Oct high C = 25 | |||
| Nov high C = 17 | |||
| Dec high C = 11 | |||
| Jan mean C = 6 | |||
| Feb mean C = 8 | |||
| Mar mean C = 11 | |||
| Apr mean C = 16 | |||
| May mean C = 20 | |||
| Jun mean C = 24 | |||
| Jul mean C = 28 | |||
| Aug mean C = 28 | |||
| Sep mean C = 23 | |||
| Oct mean C = 20 | |||
| Nov mean C = 13 | |||
| Dec mean C = 8 | |||
| Jan low C = 2 | |||
| Feb low C = 4 | |||
| Mar low C = 7 | |||
| Apr low C = 11 | |||
| May low C = 15 | |||
| Jun low C = 19 | |||
| Jul low C = 22 | |||
| Aug low C = 22 | |||
| Sep low C = 18 | |||
| Oct low C = 15 | |||
| Nov low C = 8 | |||
| Dec low C = 4 | |||
| Jan record low C = −11 | |||
| Feb record low C = −7 | |||
| Mar record low C = −7 | |||
| Apr record low C = 0 | |||
| May record low C = 6 | |||
| Jun record low C = 10 | |||
| Jul record low C = 14 | |||
| Aug record low C = 11 | |||
| Sep record low C = 6 | |||
| Oct record low C = 2 | |||
| Nov record low C = −3 | |||
| Dec record low C = −6 | |||
| year record low C = −11 | |||
| Jan precipitation mm = 110 | |||
| Feb precipitation mm = 85 | |||
| Mar precipitation mm = 60 | |||
| Apr precipitation mm = 40 | |||
| May precipitation mm = 30 | |||
| Jun precipitation mm = 10 | |||
| Jul precipitation mm = 0 | |||
| Aug precipitation mm = 0 | |||
| Sep precipitation mm = 15 | |||
| Oct precipitation mm = 50 | |||
| Nov precipitation mm = 70 | |||
| Dec precipitation mm = 95 | |||
| year precipitation mm = | |||
| Jan snow days = 1 | |||
| Feb snow days = 1 | |||
| Mar snow days = 0 | |||
| Apr snow days = 0 | |||
| May snow days = 0 | |||
| Jun snow days = 0 | |||
| Jul snow days = 0 | |||
| Aug snow days = 0 | |||
| Sep snow days = 0 | |||
| Oct snow days = 0 | |||
| Nov snow days = 0 | |||
| Dec snow days = 1 | |||
| Jan rain days = 16 | |||
| Feb rain days = 12 | |||
| Mar rain days = 10 | |||
| Apr rain days = 10 | |||
| May rain days = 7 | |||
| Jun rain days = 3 | |||
| Jul rain days = 0 | |||
| Aug rain days = 0 | |||
| Sep rain days = 3 | |||
| Oct rain days = 5 | |||
| Nov rain days = 7 | |||
| Dec rain days = 15 | |||
| Jan humidity = 84 | |||
| Feb humidity = 76 | |||
| Mar humidity = 69 | |||
| Apr humidity = 65 | |||
| May humidity = 51 | |||
| Jun humidity = 49 | |||
| Jul humidity = 41 | |||
| Aug humidity = 44 | |||
| Sep humidity = 52 | |||
| Oct humidity = 56 | |||
| Nov humidity = 67 | |||
| Dec humidity = 83 | |||
| source = Weather Online, Weather Base, BBC Weather, MyForecast and My Weather 2 | |||
}} | |||
==Notable people== | |||
*], singer | |||
*], politician | |||
*], politician | |||
*], combatant | |||
== See also == | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{Commons category|Afrin}} | |||
* | |||
{{Aleppo Governorate|Afrin}} | |||
{{Cities of Syria}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 06:44, 30 December 2024
City in SyriaCity in Aleppo, Syria
Afrin
Efrîn عفرين | |
---|---|
City | |
Afrin, 2009 | |
Afrin | |
Coordinates: 36°30′30″N 36°52′9″E / 36.50833°N 36.86917°E / 36.50833; 36.86917 | |
Country | Syria |
Governorate | Aleppo |
District | Afrin |
Subdistrict | Afrin |
Control | Turkey Syrian Interim Government |
Area | |
• Total | 3,850 km (1,490 sq mi) |
Elevation | 270 m (890 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 70.000 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Afrin (Arabic: عفرين, romanized: Ifrīn; Kurdish: Efrîn) is a Kurdish majority city in northern Syria. In the Afrin District, it is part of the Aleppo Governorate. The total population of the district as of 2020 was recorded at 172,095 people, of whom 70,000 lived in the town of Afrin itself.
The town and district are named after the Afrin River. The city is split into two distinct halves by the river. As a result of Operation Olive Branch, the People's Defense Units of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria ("Rojava" or "AANES") withdrew after the city's encirclement from Afrin on 17 March 2018 and the Syrian National Army and Turkish Armed Forces captured Afrin the next day, bringing it under the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.
While thousands fled as the Syrian Democratic Forces of the AANES retreated, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people remained in Afrin city after the Turkish capture.
History
Translation of the surviving inscription from the Afrin Stele....] ...he/they ...ed away together (?),
and kings (?) ed me up with ... .
raise up the hand to tar-
hunzas,
and [...
About 8 km south of the town of Afrin, there are the remains of a Syro-Hittite settlement known as Ain Dara. In a field northwest of the city, a 9th or 8th century BC Luwian stele (named the Afrin stele) was discovered; it is a fragment of a full stele as only the middle section survives, which in turn is damaged with the right side destroyed, taking with it parts of the right edge of the front and left edge of the back. The stele's front shows a part of a relief; a short fringed kilt usually worn by Teshub, the Hittite storm god, is shown. The city fell under the control of the Neo-Assyrian Empire between the 9th and 6th centuries BC, and subsequently under the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Achaemenid Empire and Seleucid Empire
Cyrrhus overlooking the Afrin once served as a military base for the Roman Empire when it conducted campaigns against the Armenian Empire to the north. By the 4th century, it had become an important centre for Christianity with its own bishop.
The Afrin Valley was part of Roman Syria until the Muslim conquest of the Levant in 637. The Afrin was known as Oinoparas (Koinē Greek: Οινοπάρας) in the Seleucid era; in the Roman era the name became Ufrenus, whence the Arab vernacular ʿAfrīn, ʿIfrīn, adopted as Kurdish Efrîn.
The area was briefly conquered by the Principality of Antioch but again came under Muslim rule in 1260 following the Mongol invasions. In the Ottoman period, the area was part of the Kilis Province.
Although it is not contiguous with the main area of Kurdish settlement, the Afrin valley seems to have seen Kurdish settlement by at least the 16th-17th centuries, as a British traveller by the name William Biddulph, records in 1599 that a people, called Coords, who "Worship the Devil", dwell in the mountains between İskenderun and Aleppo. It is likely that these were Yezidi Kurds, who have historically been accused of being devil-worshippers by outsiders.
In 18th century, Afrin was referred to as the Sancak of the Kurds in Ottoman documents.
Modern era
With the drawing of the Syria–Turkey border in 1923, Afrin became detached from Kilis Province and was part of French-administrated Syria (i.e. the State of Aleppo, State of Syria (1924–30), Syrian Republic (1930–58)) and was eventually incorporated in modern Syria at the state's formation in 1961.
The town of Afrin was founded as a market in the 19th century. In 1929, the number of permanent residents was 800, growing to 7,000 by 1968. The town was developed by France under the French mandate of Syria. The main square is Afrin bus station, and the old settlement area stretches northward on the slope of a hill, but more recently habitations have spread to the other side of the river and extend as far to the south-east as the neighboring village of Turandah.
Since the Turkish annexation of Hatay Province in 1939, the Afrin District is now almost surrounded by the Syria–Turkey border, apart from the border with the Azaz District to the east and a short border with the Mount Simeon District to the southeast.
There was an outbreak of civil unrest on 16 March 2004, during which three people were killed by Syrian police. In 1999, the arrest of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan (by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization in Nairobi, Kenya in February 1999) triggered renewed clashes between Kurdish protesters and the police.
Syrian Civil War
Main article: Afrin CantonDuring the Syrian civil war, Syrian government forces withdrew from the city in the summer of 2012. The People's Defense Units took control of the city soon afterward.
Afrin Canton as a de facto autonomous part was declared on 29 January 2014, the town of Afrin being the administrative center. The assembly elected Hêvî Îbrahîm Mustefa prime minister, who later appointed Remzi Şêxmus and Ebdil Hemid Mistefa to work as deputies.
Between 2012 and 2018, the YPG, the official defence force of the canton, was criticized for recruiting child soldiers, committing arbitrary arrests and failing to address unsolved killings and disappearances. According to the reports, the YPG and Asayish were also accused of forcibly recruiting civilians, arresting political activists and displacing Arabs whose homes were later stolen and looted. Displaced Arabs accused the Kurdish security forces of imposing taxes and restrictions on the population in order to force them to leave and change the demography.
Turkish military incursion
See also: Operation Olive BranchOn 20 January 2018, the Turkish army began the Operation Olive Branch alleging that the Government ruling in Afrin were terrorists. On the same day, the Turkish Air Force bombed more than 100 targets in Afrin. On 28 January 2018, Syria's antiquities department and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Turkish shelling had seriously damaged the ancient temple of Ain Dara at Afrin. Syria called for international pressure on Turkey "to prevent the targeting of archaeological and cultural sites". On 20 February 2018, a Syrian army convoy consisting of 50 vehicles had arrived in Afrin through the Ziyarat border crossing and were deployed to different areas. Five vehicles reached the center of the city of Afrin.
On 14 March 2018, Redur Xelil, the senior official of the Syrian Democratic Forces accused Turkey of settling Arab and Turkmen families in the villages captured by Turkish army. A senior Turkish official denied the accusations.
On 18 March 2018, on the 58th day of Operation Olive Branch, the Syrian National Army and the Turkish Armed Forces captured Afrin from the YPG and the YPJ. Shortly after its capture, SNA fighters looted parts of the city and destroyed numerous Kurdish symbols, including a statue of Kāve, as Turkish Army troops solidified control by raising Turkish flags and banners over the city. In areas which were captured by the Olive Branch forces, the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) has provided population with help which covered the basic needs between 15 February and 15 March 2018.
After the capture of Afrin by the Turkish led forces, the city came under the control of the Government of Turkey, which provides the administration.
On 12 April 2018, a Turkish-backed interim council was elected in Afrin, consisting of 20 "elders from the city" – 11 Kurds, eight Arabs, and one Turkmen, Turkish state media reported. The council is headed by a Kurd named Zuhair Haider who, in an interview with the state-run Anadolu Agency, expressed his gratitude to Turkey and vowed to "serve" the local citizens.
In June 2018, the United Nations published a report stating that the security situation under Turkish-backed rebel control remains volatile. The OHCHR had received reports of lawlessness and rampant criminality, such as theft, harassment, cruel treatment and other abuse, and murders committed by several Turkish-backed armed groups, especially by the Sultan Murad and Hamza Divisions. The OCHR stated that civilians, particularly ethnic Kurds from Afrin, are being targeted for discrimination by the same Turkish-backed fighters.
On 2 August 2018, Amnesty International reported that the Turkish forces were giving Syrian armed groups free rein to commit serious human rights abuses against civilians in the northern city of Afrin. The research had found the Turkish-backed fighters have involved in arbitrary detentions, torture, forced displacement, enforced disappearances, confiscation of property, and looting.
On 28 April 2020, a bombing in Afrin killed 40 people, including 11 children. No group claimed responsibility. Turkey blamed the YPG for the attack.
On 11 October 2021, a car bombing killed at least six people.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered the city on 13 October 2022, during clashes between SNA groups in the region. They later retreated.
Health care
The World Health Organization reported that Afrin counted with four hospitals before March 2018. Starting April 2018, Physical condition in hospitals and health centers has been improved. Hospital health centers in Afrin district center were put into service. In addition, mobile health screening vehicles, which include a team of doctors and nurses, started to provide health services by visiting all towns and villages at certain intervals since the beginning of April 2018. According to the data obtained from the Hatay Governorship, 17 thousand 236 people were examined and 2 thousand 288 people were vaccinated in the health units that started operations in early April and where 68 Turkish personnel were employed. 42 children were born in Afrin State Hospital, where 4 new dialysis devices serve.
Education
In August 2015, the University of Afrin started teaching, with initial programs in literature, engineering and economics, including institutes for medicine, topographic engineering, music and theater, business administration and the Kurdish language. In January 2018, the university closed due to Operation Olive Branch and did not open after the city was captured by Turkish-backed forces. In October 2019, Turkey announced that the University of Gaziantep will open a Faculty of Education in Afrin. In February 2019, it was reported that Turkey was assuming control over the educational matters in Afrin, providing training to teachers and turkifiying the curriculum taught in the schools. BBC also reported that Turkey enabled the establishment of a religious İmam Hatip school in Afrin.
Economy
The olive tree is the symbol of Afrin. Afrin is a production center for olives. Since the Turkish army captured Afrin, the olives have been confiscated by the Turkish backed forces and exported to Turkey. Olive oil pressing and textiles are some of the city's local industries. Since the Turkish capture of Afrin, only companies registered in Turkey are permitted to do business in the city. On 9 November 2018, Turkey's trade minister Ruhsar Pekcan announced the opening of a border gate with Afrin dubbed "Olive Branch" - after the operational name of the Turkish offensive that captured the city months before.
Infrastructure
In late 2018 a delegation from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources inspected the situation in Afrin and instructed a renovation of the electricity infrastructure. On 13 January 2019, body filling, water intake structure, reinforced concrete and mechanical cover systems were completed and repaired by the Turkish State Hydraulic Works (DSI), for Afrin Dam. In this way, the water requirement of the city is re-established.
Climate
Afrin has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool winters with moderate rain and occasional snow. The average high temperature in January is 9 °C and the average high temperature in July is 34 °C. The snow falls usually in January, February or December. Afrin's yearly rainfall ranges between 500 and 600 mm and the average rate of humidity is 61%. Afrin is surrounded by olive trees.
Climate data for Afrin | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
35 (95) |
41 (106) |
41 (106) |
43 (109) |
46 (115) |
42 (108) |
38 (100) |
28 (82) |
21 (70) |
46 (115) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9 (48) |
12 (54) |
16 (61) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
29 (84) |
34 (93) |
34 (93) |
28 (82) |
25 (77) |
17 (63) |
11 (52) |
22 (72) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 6 (43) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
16 (61) |
20 (68) |
24 (75) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
23 (73) |
20 (68) |
13 (55) |
8 (46) |
17 (63) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2 (36) |
4 (39) |
7 (45) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
19 (66) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
12 (54) |
Record low °C (°F) | −11 (12) |
−7 (19) |
−7 (19) |
0 (32) |
6 (43) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
11 (52) |
6 (43) |
2 (36) |
−3 (27) |
−6 (21) |
−11 (12) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 110 (4.3) |
85 (3.3) |
60 (2.4) |
40 (1.6) |
30 (1.2) |
10 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
15 (0.6) |
50 (2.0) |
70 (2.8) |
95 (3.7) |
565 (22.3) |
Average rainy days | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 88 |
Average snowy days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 84 | 76 | 69 | 65 | 51 | 49 | 41 | 44 | 52 | 56 | 67 | 83 | 61 |
Source: Weather Online, Weather Base, BBC Weather, MyForecast and My Weather 2 |
Notable people
- Ebdo Mihemed, singer
- Îlham Ehmed, politician
- Hêvî Îbrahîm, politician
- Arin Mirkan, combatant
See also
References
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External links
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