MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Muhammad is perturbed by fears of a new Turkish ground invasion of his village located on the frontlines in north Manbij, northern Syria. His fears rose following the wide scale aerial bombardment by Turkish fighter jets and the newly made threats of a new military operation.
Muhammad al-Ibrahim, 33, from the village of al-Sayyada in northwest of Manbij city, voices his fears of turning into the life of displacement and of dangers posed to his family members amid continuation of the Turkish shelling.
On November 20, and the days followed, Turkish forces launched a wide spread aerial and artillery bombardment against northern Syria, claiming tens of lives and destroying vital facilities.
Since then, people on the contact lines – separating between the Manbij Military Council, which is affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), from the Turkish forces and their affiliated factions of Syrian National Army (SNA) – are daunted by the prospect of a ground Turkish operation that means a new wave of displacement.
Ibrahim says they do not know where to go in case of any Turkish operation. Staying at the village is engulfed in uncertainties. “There are no prospects to survive in the village.”
Villages located on the contact lines undergo repeated shelling. “We do not know where a shell could fell or take the of life of any one of us,” Ibrahim said.
Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his officials said at any moment a Turkish ground operation could take place. However, that has been reduced since Monday.
Not a firm stance
On November 27, nearly 187 local NGOs condemned the Turkish attacks against north Syria and called in a statement to halt aggression upon civilians immediately and to respect the international humanitarian law.
While Noura al-Khaled, 48, had left her house located in the village of Aoun al-Dadat in the countryside of Manbij to protect her children from bombs and loud sounds of explosions that horrified the locals.
The shelling pushed al-Khaled to repeatedly go to her relatives in Manbij city, but doing frequently makes her feel like a burden on them. “We are fed up with displacement.”
Local NGOs urged the UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to increase efforts in providing relief and humanitarian aid to the region to meet the basic needs resulted from the recent military escalation and shelling.
Muhammad al-Abadi, 29, from the village of al-Yanli, in northwest of Manbij, holds the international community accountable for their fears and plight. “The international community and human rights organizations are not concerned with locals lives in those villages which undergo shelling.”
He believes that the international organizations and the international community do not lift a finger regarding what is being taking place on the Sajur River contact lines.
UN and international warnings went on the rise against any Turkish military operation into northern Syria amid a Russian bid for a rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara.
However, all that seem insufficient to refrain Ankara which still sporadically shells separate areas in north Syria.
Appeals
On November 30, Sinem Muhammad, Washington’s representative of Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), called on the US to show a more firm stance to curb Turkey from its long-pronounced operation.
In an earlier statement made to North Press, Sinem condemned the Arab countries’ silence towards the Turkish escalation that targets locals of the region and vital facilities that, deepening the plight of Syrians.
Omar al-Fawaz, 40, from the village of Qarat Wayran, northwest of Manbij, voices his fears of a new wave of displacement in the region.
“The humanitarian situation would be very difficult in case of any Turkish military operation in the area, notably in winter. It could create a wide scale displacement wave from those villages,” he said.
On November 24, Abd Hamed al-Mehbash, Co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration on North and East Syria (AANES) expected a “Humanitarian catastrophe” should Turkish shelling continues.
Al-Fawaz appeals to the international community to stop the Turkish operation and the encroachment upon safe civilians in the region.