Administration of North and East Syria condemns repeated Turkish attacks on civilians in Abu Rasayn and Tel Tamr in Syria and Shengal and other parts of northern Iraq

ABU RASAYN, Syria / SHENGAL, Iraq — The Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria condemned the Turkish attacks on Abu Rasayn (Zarkan) and Shengal (Sinjar), stating that the Turkish state is continuing to pursue its goal of reoccupying territory once ruled by the Ottoman Empire.

The statement claimed that Turkey’s continued attacks targeting the Yezidi people in Shengal is a continuation of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) genocide of which it began in 2014.

These practices are a clear challenge to the will of the Yezidis, who defied the aggressive plans and sought to establish their own Autonomous Administration and self-defense forces.

What is happening in the areas of Tel Tamr and its countryside is not separate from what is happening in any other area that Turkey is occupying, said the statement. The Turkish attacks aim to forcibly displace the native inhabitants of the region and prevent the positive economic development of the region, it continued.

The DAA condemned the Turkish aggressive practices and stressed that Iraq must put an end to them. It also appealed to Russia, the U.S.-led International Coalition, and the international community to stop the Turkish escalation and targeting of civilian-populated areas in Syria and Iraq.