Syrian Democratic Council: We reaffirm the priority of the liberation of Afrin and the return of its displaced inhabitants

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — On the 20 January, the third anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cafrin (Afrin) in northwestern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) issued a public statement calling for the expulsion of Turkey from Syrian territory and on the United Nations to investigate the systemic crimes committed by Turkey and its proxy forces.

********** SDC STATEMENT ON 21 JANUARY 2021 **********

January 20th marks the third anniversary of the beginning of the brutal Turkish aggression against the Syrian region of Afrin, which was occupied after 58 days of heroic resistance by its sons and daughters despite overwhelming odds.

Turkish State and its mercenary factions have committed crimes against humanity and displaced more than 300,000 civilians from their lands and homes. They have implemented a settlement policy aimed at changing the demographics of the region and obliterating the cultural and historical features of the region’s original inhabitants. According to international humanitarian and human rights organizations, they have committed widespread and shocking crimes.

We, the Syrian Democratic Council, as we hold the Syrian regime and the Russian Federation responsible for Turkey’s occupation of Afrin, reaffirm the priority of its liberation and the safe return of its indigenous people and the removal of all outsiders from it, and call on the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council to establish specialized committees to investigate the facts of the crimes committed by Turkey and its mercenaries in Afrin and bring them to justice.

We also stress that the solution to the Syrian crisis is through the solidarity of Syrians and uniting their forces to get rid of the occupation, terrorism, and tyranny and building a pluralistic and decentralized Syria.