Turkey-Backed Terrorists Continue Plundering Afrin’s Historical Artifacts

The sources said that the Ankara-backed Faylaq al-Awwal militants are plundering the artifacts in Cyrrhus (a city in ancient Syria founded by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great’s generals) known among Arabs as Nebi Huri castle in Northeastern Afrin.

They added that the commander of the terrorist group also monitors extensive excavation operations in the historical sites in the region, saying that the militants sell the artifacts in local and regional markets or transfer them to other regions.

Also, other reports said that the former commander of Faylaq al-Rahman terrorist group in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus has arrived at an agreement with the local council of Afrin to take control of a large mountainous area between Bastouleh and Afrin that is home to many villages later sell their control to other terrorists.

Relevant reports in August said that Ankara-backed militants continued damaging and plundering historical artifacts in Afrin region.

The Ankara-backed militant groups conducted excavation again in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo, destroying Nebi Huri and other historical sites in the region.

In the meantime, Director General for Antiquities and Museums of Syria Mahmoud Hammoud pointed to the major damage inflicted on Cyrrhus (Nebi Huri) that has been built in the fourth century BC, adding that the terrorists had ruined the pyramid-shaped mausoleum of Nebi Huri and built a cement building on top of it.