Syria’s Hasakah residents protest against frequent Turkish bombardment
TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, hundreds of residents of the northern countryside of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, participated in a sit-in in front of the Russian military base in the town of Tel Tamr denouncing the frequent Turkish bombing of the area.
The protesters raised banners denouncing the Turkish bombing and pictures of the wounded of the civilian population, in addition to chanting slogans condemning the silence of the Russian forces amid the continued Turkish bombing.
“The Russian forces should fulfill their mission as a guarantor of the ceasefire and deter Turkey from its repeated attacks on civilians,” said Taha al-Arna, one of the protesters.
He added that the Turkish army was trying to restore the glories of the Ottomans by occupying more areas.
While Mahmoud Kheleif, another protestor, said that Russia’s silence towards the Turkish bombing means that it has a hand in the matter.
Another, called Mas’oud Haj Mansour, considered that the Russians bear responsibility for the Turkish army’s bombing of the population, as “they have signed a ceasefire agreement with the Turks since the occupation of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad regions.
The protesters formed a delegation that entered the Russian base to meet with Russian officers and handed them a note of protest by the residents of the area against the frequent Turkish bombing.
After a meeting that lasted more than half an hour, Zeinab Ayo, the co-chair of the Tel Tamr Council, said: “We delivered a message attached with pictures of the crimes of the Turkish occupation during the past few days on our areas.”
“The Russian officers told them that they would convey their message to their command, which would communicate with the Turkish side,” she added.
Yesterday, angry residents of the town Zargan (Abu Rasin), north of Hasakah, intercepted the Russian vehicles on the town’s main street, who were visiting the area bombed by the Turks, accusing Russia of colluding with the Turkish army and its silence over the violations of the Turkish army and the affiliated opposition factions.
For ten days, the Turkish forces and the affiliated opposition factions have escalated their bombardment on the town of Tel Tamr and its countryside, 40 km north of the city of Hasakah, targeting inhabited villages and vital facilities in the area.