Turkmen intellectuals in Manbij demand the unity of Syrian territories in the face of Turkish invasion

Manbij – North-Press Agency
Saddam Hassan

Intellectuals and prominent personnel of the Turkmen component in the city of Manbij in a survey, which was conducted by North-Press, have expressed their dissatisfaction and rejection of the Turkish military invasion in the Syrian territories, considering it as a new occupation of their land, and deduction of part of Syrian territories, to attach it to the Turkish ones.

Ahmad al-Batran, a prominent tribal Turkmen in Manbij, said that the Turkmen did not conform to the interests of Turkey, which aims at changing the demographics of the region, displacing local people and replacing them with new ones. He added: "The Turkish regime has nothing to do with our internal problems, which we know better to address, as we demand to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and protect the rights of all components."

For his part, Sarwat Sabri, an administrative at the Turkmen Association in Manbij, said that the purpose of the Turkish military intervention from the beginning was to occupy the region and not protect civilians as it claims, Sabri said that most of the indigenous people have been displaced, as residents from the rest of the regions were resettled in order to change the composition of the population.

In turn, Aziz al-Bako of the Turkmen component in Manbij said that the Turkish intervention in Syrian territories illustrates the ambitions of the Turkish regime in the region, and said that "the Turkish regime resettles the families of the armed opposition groups which are fighting in northern Syria, such as al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State terrorist group.”

It is noteworthy that the Turkish military and its affiliated armed opposition groups have been carrying out attacks on areas in north-eastern Syria, since October 9 of this year, which resulted in its control over areas extended from Sere-Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) to the countryside of Tal Abyad (Gre-Spi).