Intellectuals of Manbij say Turkish attacks undermine stability and security of region
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Lawyers and intellectuals in the city of Manbij condemned on Thursday the Turkish threats, stressing that the recent escalation aims to undermine security and stability of the region.
This came during a statement read out by the Union of Intellectuals and Teachers in Manbij that demand the international community stop the Turkish threats.
On June 1 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats to launch a military operation on the cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat, which house displaced people from several Syrian regions.
“The Turkish threat at this stage is to undermine security and stability in northeast Syria,” Ahmed al-Youssef, co-chair of the Union of Intellectuals in Manbij, said.
“If this military operation happens, there will be another wave of displacement and destruction of the infrastructure, which we’ve rebuilt after liberating the city from ISIS,” he told North Press.
The SDF liberated Manbij from ISIS rule in 2016, and the city is now under the control of the SDF-aligned Manbij Military Council. Remarkably, the MMC.
“The people of Manbij, Tel Rifaat and areas of northeastern Syria have been living in a state of stability and security for 6 years after their liberation from ISIS. Now this military neglect threatens all of that. It will bring the region back into a new conflict and to a new wave of displacement and destroying the infrastructure we built,” he added.
“In the areas it controls, Turkey has obliterated the cultures and made the demographic change in front of the eyes of the whole world, and this is not something hidden. We fear for our societies from this cultural and demographic change,” al-Youssef said.