Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria denounces Turkey for “barbaric” drone strike that killed and wounded civilian officials

ZALIN, Syria — The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) released a statement expressing its strong condemnation of the ongoing Turkish assaults on North and East Syria. The statement specifically highlighted the targeting of the two Co-Chairs of the Zalin (Qamishli) Canton Council and one of the council’s deputy co-chairs in a drone strike.

Co-Chair Yusra Darwish, Deputy Co-Chair Laiman Shwesh, and driver Furat Tuma, a Syriac, were martyred. Co-Chair Chamoun managed to run from the car while on fire and survived the assassination.

The AANES statement asserted that the Turkish attacks and acts of aggression reveal a shared understanding and policy between the “Astana group” — Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran.

Furthermore, the statement condemns what it describes as the aggressive and barbaric policies of the Turkish state against the people residing in the areas administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It emphasized that these regions strive to be a model and a solution for Syrians to unite. The AANES called upon the US-led International Coalition, Russia, and the international community as a whole to break their silence regarding these attacks on the people of North and East Syria.

Additionally, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey issued a statement strongly condemning the Turkish drone strike. The party believes that these attacks directly undermine the will of the people in North and East Syria. It highlighted that these attacks are happening under the watchful eyes of the world and demanded that the international community take a clear stance against them.

The Syrian National Coalition also denounced the continuous bombings and targeted operations carried out by Turkey against the residents of North and East Syria. The coalition offered its heartfelt condolences to the families of those martyred and wounded.

Talaat Younis, the Co-Chair of the Executive Council in Gozarto (Jazira) Region, warned that the Turkish escalation supports the resurgence of Islamic State (ISIS) cells and aims to destabilize the region’s security and stability. He called upon the international community and the guarantor powers — the US and Russia — to take decisive actions against the terrorism perpetrated by the Turkish occupation.