8 children injured by gunfire in Afrin: SOHR
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Eight children were injured on Sunday by machine gunfire from Turkish-backed groups in Afrin, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor, reported on Monday.
The SOHR report said the children were injured in the Mirkan village in Ma'batly district in Afrin countryside north of Aleppo after a Turkish-backed faction in the Satiyah village fired a machine gun.
Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) mission in the United States, blamed the al-Hamza Division for the incident.
10 children were seriously injured as a result of heavy gunfire inside a school in the village of "Mirkan_Kundi Hassa" in the "Maabatli" district in the occupied city of Afrin , the mercenaries of "Al-Hamzat" of the Turkish occupation raided a school in the Mirkan village . pic.twitter.com/zEujm45ZT0
— Sinam Mohamad (@sinam56) March 27, 2022
Turkish-backed factions have occupied Afrin since March 2018, when the Turkish army launched a cross-border offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Since then, the local population has faced kidnappings and arrests, often for ransom.
Moreover, there have been several explosions in Afrin and infighting between Turkish-backed factions, which have caused civilian casualties.
A recent report released by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria documented how Turkish-backed groups in Afrin are continuing their looting and pillaging of the occupied Syrian Kurdish enclave.
Read More: Turkish-backed groups continue looting Afrin: UN report
Recently, SOHR also reported Kurdish civilians were arrested after participating in Newroz (Kurdish New Year) celebrations.
Read More: Civilian arrested in Afrin after participating in Newroz celebrations