Turkey in Syria: Ruling Kurdish Afrin by Sharia Law, Ethnic Cleansing

05/13/2018

Prior to the Turkish invasion, Afrin was home to more than 500,000 people - mostly Kurds but with sizable Christian, Yazidi and Alawite minorities. The enclave also hosted more than 300,000 Syrians fleeing violence in other parts of the war-torn country. At the onset of the Turkish offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government declared it a "jihad" against Syrian Kurds. Turkey and jihadist groups are now forcing religious minorities in Afrin to convert to Islam.