Turkish threats of military operation are serious – AANES
RAQAA, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), known as Rojava, described on Thursday the Turkish threats to launch a military operation on northern Syria as “serious” and indicated that it would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Head of the Office of Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Affairs of the AANES, Sheikhmous Ahmad, said that Turkey does not abide by the ceasefire agreements signed with the guarantor states in Syria in October 2019, saying “Turkey is violating the agreements and intending to launch a military operation that will exacerbate the existing human tragedy in the area.”
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated ISIS militarily.
“Turkish military operations launched against the areas of Afrin, Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) during the past years has caused the displacement of about one million people,” Ahmad told North Press.
Due to Russia-Ukraine war, the humanitarian aid to refugee camps in the AANES-held areas was reduced, according to Ahmad.
Sheikhmous Ahmad considered that the Turkish military operations primarily serve the project of demographic change that was declared at the beginning of May.