Translation from Arabic: @mekut_mallet
Making money with drinking water in the city of Afrin and surrounding areas turned into one of the most important sources of income for the armed militia, after having stolen the equipment of the main pumping stations and selling them on the Turkish black market.
Ankara-supported armed militias, after the stealing equipment from pumping stations in the area of Sheikh Hadeed/Shiya and the village of Snara, are selling drinking water in the town and surrounding areas. The price per barrel varies between 800 to 2000 Syrian pounds. The water is taken from wells from the area.
The militia forbid private tankers from transferring drinking water. Owners of tankers must obtain a work permit issued by the local councils connected to Turkey and a second permit from armed factions. Owners of tankers are required to pay 600 Syrian pounds per barrel that they want to transfer for trade or personal use.
Thievery by the militias is not limited to pumping stations, but confiscated private wells and large reservoirs from houses whose owners were displaced to areas near the city of Aleppo. Civilians confirm that the trade of stolen pumping equipment and confiscated reservoirs is one of the types of trade carried out by militias supported by Turkey.
It is noteworthy that the transferred water to areas inhabited by the families of the armed militias are sold at much lower prices ( not exceeding 150 pounds per barrel) than in areas of original population.
