By Robin Omar
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – According to human rights activists, the international community’s reaction to Turkish violations in northeastern Syria is so far timid.
“Despite our efforts to communicate through messages, reports, and memorandum of protest to the US and Russian foreign ministries and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, we have not received any favorable response up to this moment. Instead, we have only been given promises and delays,” said Jwan Isso, international law scholar and activist.
He further explained to North Press that this indicates a lack of legal and moral responsibility within the international community.
“Turkey is now exploiting all humanitarian documents and files and politicizing these issues, including the refugee and the water issues,” the activist stated.
Turkish forces along with Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka Syrian National Army (SNA), persist in committing serious violations and disregarding international humanitarian law against civilians in northeastern Syria since the start of 2023.
On August 15, North Press held a dialogue discussion about atrocities committed by the SNA in the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain). It also concentrated on human rights violations in the city. The dialogue session presented a comprehensive report on those violations titled “Atrocities committed by SNA in Turkish-occupied areas in north Syria”.
Sere Kaniye has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and has been controlled by the SNA factions since 2019 following the so-called “Peace Spring” military operation that aimed to push away Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the pretext of protecting the Turkish national security.
Recently, there has also been an increase in Turkish targeting through drone strikes and artillery attacks.
The most recent attack was on August 13, as the Turkish forces shelled two military posts of the Syrian government forces on the outskirts of the villages of Tokhar and al-Jat in the countryside of Manbij, northern Syria, wounding two soldiers.
On August 3, a Turkish drone hit two vehicles near Ali Faro road near the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, killing four fighters of the SDF that had fought against Islamic State (ISIS) for years.
Isso noted that despite the ongoing violations, increasing number of victims, and clear evidence of wrongdoing, there is no international action or UN resolution to compel Turkey to withdraw from the regions it occupies.
“Ending the occupation signifies the beginning of a new stage towards a political resolution and the elimination of the ideological, geographical, and political influence of ISIS and al-Qaeda,” Isso noted.
Casualties
The Monitoring and Documentation Department at North Press has documented the number of Turkish violations in various cities of northeastern Syria since the beginning of 2023.
According to the department, Turkey attacked north Syria with 47 drone strikes, targeting 47 locations.
In the city of Derik, far northeast Syria, there were two casualties, one civilian was killed and an SDF fighter was injured. In Qamishli, nine locations were targeted, leaving behind 30 casualties, Killing 22 individuals, including 13 SDF fighters, four women, and one child. Additionally, eight individuals were injured, including six SDF fighters.
In the city of Hasakah, northeast Syria, three locations were targeted, resulting in six casualties, five were killed, and one SDF fighter was injured. In Raqqa, one location was targeted, resulting in two casualties, including one woman. In Sere Kaniye, northeast Syria, one location was targeted and a child was injured.
In northern Aleppo countryside, 19 locations were targeted, resulting in 33 casualties. As a result 14 individuals were killed, including six women.
The drone attacks also killed a Russian soldier and injured three others, the government forces also suffered 12 casualties, while five SDF fighters were killed and two were injured.
In the city of Kobani, northern the country, four locations were targeted, resulting in seven casualties; four individuals were killed, including two SDF fighters and a woman, while three individuals were injured.
In the town of Tel Tamr, north of the city of Hasakah, three locations were targeted, resulting in the death of one SDF fighter. In the city of Manbij, northern Syria, five locations were targeted, resulting 17 casualties; 10 people were killed, including four government forces and five SDF fighters, while seven individuals were injured, including two soldiers of Syrian government forces, two SDF fighters, and two children.
In Aleppo, one location was targeted, resulting in the death of a government soldier.
Violations and international silence
Avin Juma, a member of the Human Rights Organization in Jazira region of northeast Syria, stated to North Press that Turkey is the main responsible for the systematic destruction of the region and the demographic change there.
“As an occupying state, Turkey is legally bound by international humanitarian law to ensure the safety of the residents in those areas,” she noted.
Juma emphasizes the need to hold Turkey accountable and address those violations through legal actions in international human rights courts to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.
She further stated that the Turkish violations are occurring amidst international silence, and they are all documented through regular reports, in addition to preparing individual lawsuit files.
These reports are submitted to the UN International Investigation Committee tasked with monitoring violations in Syria, as well as other active monitoring and documentation entities. Moreover, reports are also submitted to a specialized international committee that examines these lawsuits from a legal standpoint and prepares them for submission to European courts.
“What is happening is a clear objective sought by Turkey, supported by the Turkish-backed SNA, which is to bring about demographic change in the region and compel civilians to leave their areas,” the activist told North Press.
“Furthermore, the alteration of demographics in the occupied regions is actively being carried out by Turkey. A significant indication of this is the project, announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2018, which aims to resettle around one million Syrian refugees in newly constructed settlements within those occupied areas,” Juma concluded.
In May 2022, Erdogan announced a plan to encourage the return of one million Syrian refugees to 13 areas controlled by Turkey in northern Syria.
Turkey has built more than 19 settlements in Afrin region, northwest Syria, through using organizations funded by Qatar and Kuwait. In late July, Erdogan claimed that more than 600,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their country. In May, he said that Turkey is working on ensuring the “voluntary return” of one million Syrian refugees.