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Iranian Militias Pressure Afrin Displaced People.. By Kidnapping 50 of Them North of Aleppo
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The kidnapping of civilians and using them as bargaining chips reveals the transformation of areas under Iranian militias into organized crime hotspots
Pro-Iranian militias in Al-Zahraa city in northern Aleppo countryside kidnapped about 50 civilians from Afrin's displaced people and its countryside, including women and children, after confiscating their cars and leading them to unknown locations.
These militias set up checkpoints on the international road between Aleppo and Afrin, forcing displaced people to resort to alternative, risky routes to avoid falling victim to kidnapping and arrest operations.
The kidnapping campaign comes following Asayish forces' arrest of a group of drug dealers from Al-Zahraa city, with militias seeking to use the kidnapped as bargaining chips to release those involved in drug trafficking.
Concern prevails among civilians with escalating violations in Iranian militia-controlled areas, especially after a similar incident on June 25th.
Facts reveal the involvement of Nubl and Al-Zahraa cities' militants in drug trafficking, where they previously intercepted Afrin displaced people's path and detained their vehicles in response to Kurdish forces' arrest of drug smugglers from the area.
Civilians are forced to take rough roads where highway robbers spread, after pro-Iranian Nubl and Al-Zahraa militants prevented traffic movement on the Afrin-Aleppo road.
Observers view these practices as reflecting the transformation of Iranian-backed militias into organized criminal networks, combining drug trafficking with civilian extortion.
Estimates indicate that the absence of rule of law in militia-controlled areas facilitates their transformation into zones of influence for gangs and drug dealers. Human rights activists confirm the necessity of international community intervention to stop escalating violations against civilians in Iranian militia-controlled areas.
Levant-Agencies
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