Visiting martyrs' shrines during holidays and special occasions is a deeply rooted tradition in the collective memory of the people of NE Syria. However, the residents of occupied areas, particularly the city of Afrin, have been deprived of performing these rituals for years and continue to be so.
The Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries destroyed martyrs' shrines in Afrin using heavy machinery during the city's occupation in 2018. One of the most prominent shrines affected was the Martyr Rafiq Shrine, located in the village of Matina in the Shara subdistrict.
The Turkish occupation, with funding from Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations, established a camp called "Khair Bread" on part of the Martyr Rafiq Shrine. This camp was later transformed into a settlement after the addition of a mosque and some service facilities, following the leveling of several martyrs' graves.
ANHA Agency obtained recent photos and video footage of the central section of the shrine, which is in a deplorable state after prolonged destruction, with most of the settlers—estimated at around 100 families from the rural areas of Homs and Damascus—having left.
It is noteworthy that the Turkish occupation army violated the sanctity of martyrs' shrines by destroying and desecrating several graves, later turning some into a livestock market—an act considered contrary to all values and a grave violation. This includes the Martyr Avesta Khabur Shrine, located at the Kafr Shil village junction in central Afrin, as well as the martyrs' shrines in the occupied cities of Sere Kaniye and Manbij.
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ANHA
