With support from South Korean organisation | The Largest school in north-western Syria reopened in Afrin countryside
Is the project comes under reconstruction or entrenchment of demographic change?
The Syrian Civil Defence “White Helmets,” supported by the South Korean JTS organization, reopened “Khalid ibn Al-Walid” school in Jandiris city in Afrin area in north-western Syria. This school, which is the largest school in northern Syria, contains 112 classrooms and more than 850 desks with a capacity of 4,000 students.
It is worth noting that the school was badly damaged during the earthquake that struck Syrian and Turkish territories on February 6 last year.
The school will primarily accommodate students who are mostly displaced from Homs and other Syrian provinces.
Several humanitarian associations and organisations, with Turkish support, are working on constructing residential villages and establishing service projects under “rebuilding the area and preparing it to assist internally displaced people and those affected by the earthquake.” This raises questions about the goals behind these projects: whether they are designed to achieve demographic change sought by Turkey or to facilitate reconstruction.
Residents of Afrin complain about the demographic change proceeding through the establishment of model residential villages to accommodate those who are not originally from Afrin.
Since the beginning of Turkish control of the area, many organisations and charitable associations, supported by Gulf, international and Turkish funding, have been involved in establishing numerous model villages and projects in the region.
Several factions contribute to entrenching this demographic change, where “Al-Sultan Suleiman Shah” Division, led by Muhammad Al-Jasim “Abu Amsha,” works on public and private projects on land that was previously taken over from its owners under various pretexts.
On September 22, SOHR sources reported that some civil society organizations in Afrin, with Gulf support, are working on preparing a residential complex that includes 300 housing units in Jindires district in Afrin countryside in northern Aleppo countryside, within “Olive Branch” area. The project for the complex includes the installation of a solar energy system, 300 water tanks, and the provision of a sewage system.
The project aims to settle 300 families, of more than 1,300 people, including several families of members of pro-Turkey factions, move dozens of families affected by the earthquake that struck Syria on February 6 last year from Al-Barakah, Muslim, and Aya camps to the complex and replace these camps with permanent residential units.
These institutions exploit Gulf support to entrench demographic change in Afrin area, where a large number of its residents were displaced due to the Turkish military operation called “Olive Branch.”
On August 19, SOHR sources reported that the Pakistani “Flood Relief” organisation, in collaboration with the Turkish Diyanet Foundation, built a new residential complex called “Al-Madinah Village,” in Kar Roum village in Sharan district in Afrin countryside within areas controlled by Turkish forces and their proxies.
According to reliable SOHR sources, the complex was constructed after trees in a forested area were cut down by members of “Al-Sultan Murad” faction to facilitate the construction process.
The complex consists of 84 residential units, including mosques and schools.
On April 5, SOHR sources reported that the humanitarian organisation of “Wifaq,” with support by “Arab 48,” opened a new residential village dubbed “Al-Nour residential project” in Jendires town in Afrin canton in north-western Aleppo. The first phase of the project includes 48 residential apartments of an area of 65 m2 each one, a mosque, a school and a park under the pretext of housing civilians from Jendires, who have been affected by the devastating earthquake which hit Syria and Turkey in February 2023.