AANES condemns Turkish violations against Kurds in Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) condemned on Tuesday recent violations by Turkey and its affiliated factions in the village of Kakhra (Yakhour) in Afrin countryside, Northwest Syria.
In a statement, the Foreign Relations Department of the AANES highlighted the escalation of violence in the Turkish-occupied region of Afrin, carried out by factions listed under U.S. sanctions.
The Department stressed that the international community can no longer ignore these crimes, which include systematic killings of Kurdish civilians.
It also provided evidence of recent attacks, where militants of Sultan Suleiman Shah (al-Amshat) Division, a faction of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), fired live ammunition at the residents of Kakhra village and beat women during protests against the faction.
On Sep. 15, the al-Amshat faction laid siege on Kahra village following a women’s protest against the faction’s repeated transgressions in the area. The protest was met with a brutal response from the al-Amshat militants where they attacked women with bats and live ammunition. The resulted in the injury of several women.
The AANES statement accused Turkey of pursuing policies aimed at destabilizing the region and expanding its political and economic control over Syria’s future.
Human rights organizations report that Turkey and its affiliated factions have been confiscating properties, imposing taxes, and levying fines on the population, particularly in Afrin.
The AANES called on the international community, especially the U.S. and Russia, to pressure Turkey to end its occupation of Afrin and halt the ongoing demographic changes targeting the Kurds.
It also urged the United Nations Security Council to place Afrin and northern Syria under international supervision to ensure the safe return of displaced residents and expel SNA factions from the area.