Civil society organizations in Syria’s Raqqa condemn Turkish assaults
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the civil society organizations in Syria’s Raqqa condemned the Turkish attacks against Kobani city.
“Targeting the vulnerable children and civilians in Kobani is a crime against humanity,” a statement released by the civil society organization in Raqqa said.
The statement called the international parties to move and take action against the continuous Turkish violations in northeast Syria.
The civil society organizations in Raqqa city are a group of non-state associations, unions and offices that link between Autonomous Administration-run institutions and laws on the one hand and the economic and social categories in Raqqa on the other hand.
The Turkish offensive on January 8 targeted nine areas in Kobani and its countryside. The most severe attacks hit the villages of Qaramogh, Alishar, Tel Hajeb, Sarzori, Khana, Gultabah.
Ibrahim Sharif, a civilian from Khana village died in the attack and further 11 civilians were wounded.
Huge material losses were also reported.
“The movement of the Turkish government in the region threatens the civilians’ safety in a direct way,” Ibrahim al-Jassem, co-chair of the civil society organizations in Raqqa said.
“The Turkish forces and their allied Syrian opposition factions keep on violations against the safe people in the region without being held accountable or condemned by the international community,” he added.
In the same context, Abdul’ilah al-Hussein, an official of the Human Rights Bureau in Raqqa condemned the Turkish attacks on Kobani. “targeting innocent civilians is a crime of war”.
Al-Hussein voiced that the Turkish government seeks to sustain escalation in northern Syria amid doubtful silence by actors to the conflict, some of whom have military bases in northeast Syria close to the targeted areas.
“The non-act of the US and the International Coalitions regarding the Turkish offensive gives the green light to Turkey to go further in the same direction.”
He pointed out that Turkey is directly condemned since it violates UN protocols to spare civilians in times of war and violates the ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and the US.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the Turkish forces fired two heavy artillery shells on Kobani form the Turkish lands. No casualties were reported.
The first artillery shell targeted the village of Termik, 3 km south of Kobani. The shell fell on unpopulated areas. The other shell hit a house in the Kaniya Kardan neighborhood eastern Kobani, according to field sources.
Media persons and civilian activists created a campaign on Facebook with the name “#Not_a_terrorist_I_need_my_leg”.
Up to 4,000 people used the hashtag.
The hashtag was attached with the image of Abdo Mustafa Hanifi, who has not completed the age of four, lying on a bed in a hospital with one leg amputated.
Hanifi is from Qaramogh villages, 20 km east of Kobani.