Accused of “smuggling explosives” | Turkish intelligence arrests 50 merchants in “Peace Spring” area
Al-Raqqah province: Turkish intelligence service carried out a campaign of arrests in “Peace Spring” area which is controlled by Turkish forces and their proxy factions, targeting fuel and foodstuff merchants. The campaign led to the arrest of 40 merchants in Tel Abyad city (Gire Sipi) in Al-Raqqah countryside and their whereabouts and fate remain unknown.
The campaign comes 24 hours after the arrest of ten other merchants hailing from Saqiro village on Al-Tarwaziyah line between areas controlled by Turkish-backed factions and SDF-held areas in eastern Ain Issa in Al-Raqqah countryside.
According to SOHR sources, the 50 merchants were arrested for “smuggling explosives from Al-Raqqah to Tel Abyad area.”
In the same context, members of the military police have been put on high alert in the area, amid concerns by residents about arrests and pinpointing accusations against them.
On September 5, SOHR sources reported that the Turkish-backed civil police launched a raid campaign in Tel Abyad city in Al-Raqqah countryside, within “Peace Spring” areas, and arbitrarily arrested five civilians from the traders of the area, including a minor, and they were taken to a security agency without knowing their fate.
The military police accused these detainees of detonating a hand grenade in Al-Jisr neighbourhood in the city, after transporting explosive materials from Al-Raqqah city to Tel Abyad, and according to SOHR activists, the charge against them is false and unrelated to reality.