Organization in Syria’s Kobani accuses Turkey of war crimes under “Peace Spring” operation
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The co-chair of the Human Rights Organization in the Euphrates region, Nesrin Ali, said on Thursday that Turkish forces and armed opposition groups committed war crimes under the the “Peace Spring” operation when invading the two cities of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad, northern Syria, in 2019.
“Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition groups committed assassinations, displacement, plundering, rape, and demographic change operations in the region,” Ali told North Press.
On Thursday, the Human Rights Organization in the Euphrates region issued a statement marking the first anniversary of the Turkish offensive on Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad.
The statement called on the international community to hold the Turkish state responsible for the offensive and to guarantee the return of the civilians to their villages and cities.
“The Turkish invasion caused the displacement of tens of thousands of the residents of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad, where there are about 1,250 families residing in Kobani and its countryside, and 700 in Tal al-Samen IDP camp, northern Raqqa, in addition to others in the Jazira region.
“The report that was recently issued by the United Nations on the Turkish violations in the region is part of the practices of Turkey and the armed opposition groups,” Ali said.
In October, the Turkish military and its affiliated Syrian opposition groups launched a military operation and occupied the border towns of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad, leading to the deaths of about 500 civilians and the displacement of about 300,000 people.