Risk of Turkish expansionist policies exceeds Syria – SDC
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) called on the international community and Arab League to combat the expansionist policies of Turkey at the expense of the neighboring countries, stressing its risk exceeds Syria.
This came in a statement the SDC released on the fifth anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Afrin.
On Jan. 20, 2018, the Turkish forces and the armed opposition factions, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), launched the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting “Turkish national security.”
The SDC said, Afrin has been undergoing a miserable situation on all aspects since the Turkish invasion.
The statement noted to the Turkification and demographic change processes in Afrin imposed by Turkey including the use of the Turkish language, Turkish lira, and the change of the names of towns, villages and schools.
The Turkish operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.
There are about 16.000 displaced families from Afrin distributed over 42 villages and towns in Shahba region, in addition to 1.870 families, comprising 7.500 individuals, now living in the camps of Barkhodan, Sardam, Afrin, al-Awda, and Shahba, according to the Social Affairs and Labor Board of the Afrin region, currently operating in Aleppo northern countryside.
The SDC pointed out that the fifth anniversary came in tandem with attempts of rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara, saying, “The winner is Erdogan not the Syrian people.”
It warned the international community and the Arab League of the risk of the Turkish expansionist policies, saying their risk are not only limited to Syria.