SYRIA: Reports of coronavirus infections in occupied Afrin

AFRIN, Syria – According to informed sources from Afrin, there have been at least 10 suspected cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 within the city. Six of the suspected cases are members of the Syrian National Army (SNA), the other four are civilians.

According to sources, the infection of the civilians was the result of their contact with infected SNA members who have occupied the city since the Turkish invasion in January 2018.

A number of media agencies in northern Syrian have expressed concerns about the health situation in Afrin as the occupying forces don’t seem to be imposing any preventative measures. The spread of the virus into northern Syria threatens to create a humanitarian disaster due to the deterioration of health infrastructure caused by the invasion and rampant SNA looting of public goods.

It is worth mentioning that a number of political analysts pointed out that the Turkish occupation is spreading Coronavirus in the north Syria, by sending its soldiers infected with the virus deliberately, and pushing them to mix with civilians, because the occupation administration is aware of the lack of readiness of medical personnel in the region to respond to the virus.

The SNA is a coalition of militias, several of them with extremist ideologies, formed and funded by Turkey.