Diminished by drought, the olive harvest is underway in Syria’s Kurdish-majority Afrin. Residents report fewer violations than in years past, but remain wary of the new authorities.
People in Afrin remember the forest around Maydanki Lake for what it once was: a natural haven, the setting of summer days spent under rustling branches. Now devastated by years of illegal tree cutting by Turkish-backed factions, what hope is there for its future?
Videos and pictures showing tree cutting in Syria’s Afrin district sparked horror and shock on social media this week. Local environmental activists accuse Turkish-backed factions of involvement in “crimes against nature.”
