On International Day to Protect Education dozens of schools in Tel Tamr remain closed due to Turkish attacks

TEL TAMR, Syria — On the International Day to Protect Education, Abdul Razzaq Knehr, Co-Chair of the Tel Tamr Schools Department in North and East Syria, explained that although 63 countries agreed to protect education from attack, and dedicated this day to the occasion, they have not done enough to protect the schools of the predominantly Syriac–Assyrian Khabur River Valley.

Knehr stated that Turkey and its Syrian National Army (SNA) proxies deliberately target schools in and around Tel Tamr in Khabur and have turned schools in the territory they occupy into military barracks.

He called on the international community to protect schools and the educational process in the region and to deter the Turkish occupation from its crimes.

Since it invaded the region in October 2019, the Turkish occupation has not respected civilian property and infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, said Knehr.

At the end of his speech, Knehr called on UNICEF and similar bodies to intervene to secure the right of children in Tel Tamr to an education, protect their schools, and pressure Turkey into reopening the schools it has converted into military barracks.