Activists in Qamishli demand ending Turkish occupation of Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the Social Association of Afrin in the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria, called for the end of the Turkish occupation of the city of Afrin, northwestern Syria, and the return of its indigenous people.
In a statement commemorating the sixth anniversary of the Turkish occupation of Afrin, the association stated that it was one of the safest areas in Syria and had welcomed thousands of IDPs. However, the Turkish occupation turned it into an unsafe area where terrorist factions like the Islamic State (ISIS) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) gathered.
The statement came on the sixth anniversary of Turkey’s occupation of Afrin along with its affiliated armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), which occurred in March 18, 2018 after launching a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch.”
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) issued a separate statement on Monday, calling for liberating Afrin and ending Turkey’s presence in Syria to achieve stability in the country.
The statement addressed the systematic destruction of the region’s heritage and nature, the cutting down of thousands of ancient trees, and the daily violations documented by the United Nations.
It also mentioned Turkey’s construction of more than 40 settlements in Afrin, the imposition of the Turkish language, the changing the names of villages and areas, and the obliteration of Kurdish identity.
The association called on international and human rights organizations to work for ending the Turkish occupation over the region and repatriating its people.