Economist Çeleng Ömer from Afrin (Efrîn) University has shared images of an olive processing facility in Afrin, in northern Syria, where olive oil is produced. He reports that the revenue from this olive oil production facility – amounting to as much as 100 million USD – has been spent on militant groups.
These olive oil processing facilities are located three kilometers away from Jindires (Cindîrês), a town in northern Syria in the Afrin District of the Aleppo Governorate. Oil processed here is reportedly transported to the south-eastern Turkish province of Hatay which borders Idlib.
The Hatay Governorate reportedly handles the commerce of the Afrin olive trade (where oil theft has taken place) and markets it domestically in Turkey as well as internationally.