STOP TURKEY`S WAR ON THE KURDS
Turkey air strikes hit Afrin, a Kurdish city in Northern Syria, killing and wounding several civilians
Not only the Kurds even Christians, Arabs and all the other entities in Afrin are under a heavy attack by Turkey
Turkey`s aggression against peoples in Afrin is a blatant crime against humanity; no different than the crimes committed by ISIS.
Initiating a military attack on a country that has not attacked you is a war crime.
Turkish jets targeted 100 points including civilian areas in Afrin. At least 6 civilians were killed and 1 YPG (People’s Defence Units) and 2 YPJ (Woman’s Defence Units) fighters have been martyred in Saturday’s Turkish attacks. Also several civilian were wounded as a result of the attack.
The invading Turkish army carried out air strikes on Afrin with the approval of Russia at around 16:00 Saturday afternoon. The attacks by 72 fighter jets targeted Afrin centre, Cindirêsê, Reco, Shera, Shêrawa and Mabeta districts and the refugee camp Rubar. The camp Rubar inhabits more than 20.000 refugees from Syria. The occupying Turkish army and its terrorists, after failed to enter Afrin by attacking on the ground, tried to scare people of Afrin and displace them to Free Syrian Army/Turkish held areas.
The seven-year-long internal conflict in Syria turned into an international war, which resulted in the killings of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions, was almost nearing an end. The Turkish government under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, together with Al Qaeda (Heyet Tahrir El Şam) and Free Syrian Army have now begun a military operation to Afrin. This means a new bloody conflict that will drag the region into a renewed catastrophe, inflicting hunger, killing more children, displacing the local population and another international humanitarian crisis. Under international law this action is defined as an “operation for invasion”.
Neither Afrin Canton nor the other northern Syrian Kurdish regions, have ever attacked or threatened to attack Turkey. İn fact, Turkey has constantly threatened and attacked the villages and localities several times in recent years. The legal definition of Turkey’s actions, in international law, is defined as “attacking a sovereign country”, invasion of their land and an unprovoked assault on their civilians.
- We call all democratic forces and public opinion to show solidarity with the Kurds and all other entities in Afrin, to protest and condemn Turkey’s genocidal invasion.
- We call on the United Nations, the international community and global anti-ISIS coalition to take action in order for these attacks to stop immediately. These attacks target hundreds of thousands of people in Afrin.
- We call on the United Nations Security Council to take action as soon as possible to form secure zones in Northern Syria or East of the Euphrates River and the Western areas. This will bring a solution to the Syrian crisis within the framework of international legitimacy.
- The silence of the international community in the face of these attacks will legitimise the violation of human- and fundamental rights.