Turkish-backed factions bulldoze archaeological site Tel Kishor in Raju, Cafrin, in North and East Syria

CAFRIN, Syria — Members of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) bulldozed the remaining portions of Tel Kishor in Cafrin’s (Afrin) Raju district along the Syrian-Turkish border in full view of Turkish forces, using heavy machinery and bulldozers in search of archaeological pieces.

After Turkey’s occupation of Cafrin in northwestern Syria in 2018, the ancient Tel Kishor was subjected to multiple stages of bulldozing in search of artifacts to loot.

In 2019, most of the hill was bulldozed. At the beginning of 2021, the SNA began a large-scale bulldozing campaign of the hill, causing it to disappear completely. 

Turkish-backed factions continue to plunder archaeological hills in search of artifacts to sell on the black market and erase the history of the region, not dissimilar to the widespread cultural and historical destruction by the Islamic State (ISIS).

Jenderes Hill has likewise been destroyed by Turkish forces who constructed a military base atop the site. According to satellite images, Turkish heavy vehicles and an expansion of the base have further degraded the site.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), members of the Levant Front continue to bulldoze and vandalize historic some sites in the village of Akedah in the countryside of Azaz, north of Aleppo, in search of archaeological pieces., where bulldozing operations are carried out in front of civilian homes.