The SDF a mine left behind by the ISIS organization in the areas expelled from it, has been used to blackmail civilians returning to their towns, towns and villages, who face the problem of remnants of the organization, first by mines during their search for homes, streets, lanes and even on roads.
After taking control of al-Raqqa and large parts of the countryside of Deir Ezzor, it did not take responsibility for removing all the mines planted by ISIS to take this risk as a means to force civilians to pay the money. This is a precedent for the first time in the history of war in various parts of the world. .
Euphrates Post and its network of correspondents followed the threads of this issue and how it began to grow within the areas under the SDF. Our correspondent in Al-Rigga said that the beginning was with the start of the return of civilians to the neighborhoods they abandoned as a result of the fighting SDF take One of the houses in the area of the AL-qaus between the west of the door of Baghdad and the area of the former military judge, an office specialized in this matter.
The information given to us by our correspondent adds that the SDF barriers alerted civilians returning to the danger of mines laid in several places, calling for a review of the aforementioned office in the event that any mine suspected of being inside a house, lane or farmland is present.
But the surprise, according to our correspondent, is the request of the elements of “SDF” within this office to pay money for any mine being removed, ranging from 75 thousand to 400 thousand pounds, depending on the house or business or agricultural land, and where it was planted The mine.
He added that after the application and payment of money, the civilian is asked not to approach the house, shop or lane where the mine is located, and return the next day, to be sent a mine clearance team with him, and then the civilian must pay the so-called gratuity to The team , which is estimated at 5,000 lira, if any other mines are found, or in dangerous places such as being under the rubble, in this case the civilian must increase the amount paid until his demand is met.
On the other hand, our correspondent pointed out that the “SDF” blackmail of civilians was not limited to mines, but also to the removal of rubble, noting that it had collected money from civilians on Mansur Street and February 23, in exchange for heavy machinery to remove the rubble.
Deir Ezzor countryside In turn, its population was subjected to extortion itself, although to a limited extent, because the mines planted there are less than in the case of ALRaqqa.
The lack of material capacity of a large number of civilians, and the failure of the SDF to remove any mine for those who do not pay, resulted in the death and injury of a number of civilians who had no money due to war and displacement, the Euphrates Post reported.
As for the fees imposed, our correspondent reported that they ranged from 50 thousand to 100 thousand syrian pounds, and sometimes rise to 200 thousand when the civil does not have knowledge of one of the elements of “SDF”.
What distinguishes demining operations in the countryside of Deir Ezzor from what is in al-Raqqa is that most of the workers in this field are Arabs affiliated with this militia, but all follow a Kurdish leader nicknamed “scorpion”. He is a Kurdish intelligence official, Which oversees it at the same time.
Our correspondent in rural Deir Ezzor in this area pointed out that some civilians, because of their inability to pay SDF demining fees and the recent slowdown in the removal of what is in their villages and towns, they have detonated these mines by following primitive methods that are not dangerous, As happened in the Shuaitat area in eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor in the past few days, pointing out the failure of attempts by some civilians to detonate or remove, which led to the death and injury of many of them.
The same thing happened in the city of Al-Raqqa and its countryside, as our correspondent pointed out in a related context. He pointed out that a large percentage of the returning civilians are classified among the poor displaced who spent weeks and months in the Badia or in the countryside and in poor humanitarian conditions.Several of them fell victim to mines when they were trying to detonate them in a primitive way.
It is noteworthy that the areas that were previously controlled by ISIS, remains the problem of mines and explosive objects of bombs and others, One of the most serious threats to civilians returning after the fighting has ended, and have so far killed dozens of civilians in AL- Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, in addition to a large number Of injuries, including women and children