Syria’s Kobani residents, Activists demand Turkish attacks stop
Kobani, Syria (North Press) – Residents and activists from the city of Kobani, north Syria, demanded Turkish ongoing attacks and threats against safe areas in northeastern Syria end since Turkey’s main goal is to displace the remained residents.
Turkish forces have recently escalated their shelling of areas northeast Syria, targeting residential gatherings that resulted in civilian casualties.
Ongoing Attacks
Hikmat Ahmad Muhammad, a doctor and political activist from Kobani, said, “Several years have passed and Kobani and entire northeast Syria have been undergoing threat and shelling. These Turkish attacks have not stopped since the city was liberated from ISIS.”
He added, “Recently, the severe Turkish attacks on the region has increased, especially targeting children, civilians and homes, as happened two days ago.”
The indiscriminate Turkish attacks claimed the life of a child and wounded four others. “This military escalation came in conjunction with the Sochi meeting,” he added.
Muhammad believes that the aim of these indiscriminate attacks is to “empty the region of its population by terrifying and displacing civilians as well as destabilizing the region.”
Speaking of the guarantors role of ceasefire agreements of 2019, he added that no firm stances were made regarding the indiscriminate shelling against civilians.
Following the Turkish incursion in October 2019, Turkey signed two ceasefire agreements, one with Russia and the other with the US stipulating ceasing all hostilities and the withdrawal of the SDF 32 km away from the Turkish border.
The SDF did withdrew from the border areas according to the agreement, but Turkey continues targeting the area.
Terrified Children
72-year-old Amoun Ibarhim, a resident of northwest of Kobani, told North Press, “We were inside and suddenly we heard artillery shelling targeting the city, minutes later clashes started between the two sides.”
“Children were terrified due to the shelling. We kept our children inside the house, but they were very afraid. They are under ten, and they are too young to witness these kind of experiences. My grandson hid under pillows while saying ‘we will all die’,” she said.
Ibrahim went further saying, “Bullets were passing over us, a number of bullets hit our homes, and two houses adjacent to ours were destroyed as a result of the shelling that shook the whole city.”
“Life has stopped in the city,” she added while saying, “We cannot move on…we are being targeted, either by artillery and tanks, or by threats.”
“Wars should be kept away from civilians,” she noted.
International Silence
Turkish artillery targeted villages situated on Syrian-Turkish border, which coincided with indiscriminate shelling of Kobani and aerial bombardment on a government forces’ post.
The 47-year-old Marwa Hamdo was wounded due to the shelling, while the 14-year-old child Abd Khalaf lost his life and his relative was wounded in the village of Zorava.
Fahmi Sheikho, 47, from the village of Seftek, which was targeted by the Turkish forces, who is a relative and a neighbor of Marwa Hamdo, said, “At about 09:00 am, Turkish tanks directly targeted our village, and as a result Marwa was wounded because her house with hit with a tank shell.”
“The violent shelling hit the village using artillery, tanks, and heavy machineguns. It was focused on homes of the villagers. The Turkish state does not distinguish between a child, a woman, a military member or a civilian,” he added.
He criticized the international silence, and especially the guarantor states (Russia and the US), saying, “The targeting should have been ended a long time ago, but we see that the attacks increase day after day, aiming at displacing us from our villages, so countries should intervene and act rather than watching.”