23/06/2023

Bethnahrin National Council calls on US and Europe to stop Turkish attacks on North and East Syria

BETH NAHRIN — In response to the recent Turkish attack targeting civilian officials in North and East Syria, the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) issued public statement.

“The inhumane attacks against the project of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria [AANES], led by the ruling racist religious coalition in Turkey, including the Justice and Development Party [AKP] and the National Movement Party [MHP], along with jihadist groups, persist,” read the statement. “The military escalation, which has been on the rise since 2018, has resulted in the occupation of several regions in North and East Syria, including Cafrin [Afrin], Tel Abyad, and Rish Ayno [Ras al-Ayn].”

The attacks have intensified, and there are preparations underway for a new aggression following the 14 May elections which cemented Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s position as Turkish presidency, according to the statement. Efforts are currently being made to establish a new agreement involving Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iran, with the initiative and pressure coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The result of the Astana meetings between the four countries has only been detrimental to Syrian civilians, said the statement. Countless civilians have been killed, their properties destroyed, and their sources of livelihood damaged due to the air and ground bombardments that targeted areas in North and East Syria and other parts of the country.

The MUB statement also mentioned that on 20 June 2023, Gabriel Chamoun and Yusra Darwish, the Co-Chairs of the Zalin (Qamishli) Canton Council, along with Deputy Laiman Shwesh and their driver Furat Danial Tuma, visited the Tel Shair Village Council, which is administratively affiliated with Qabre Hewore (Qahtaniyah), and were targeted by Turkish drone missiles. This attack resulted in the martyrdom of Darwish, Shwesh, and Tuma, and injured Chamoun, who is a member of the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria. Tuma, a Chaldean citizen who had worked for many years in the institutions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), was declared a martyr for the people’s struggle and the AANES.

The MUB emphasized its commitment to preserving the cause of Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) martyrs and their sacrifices, as well as safeguarding the values and achievements of the AANES.

“In honor of Darwish, Shwesh, and Tuma, we appeal to our people and all the residents of the North and East Syria to pay tribute to the martyrs, care for the injured in war, and safeguard the security, political, and social institutions while committing to the development of the AANES, read the statement. “We also pledge to defend our land, dignity, and identity alongside the Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and other peoples, drawing strength from our historical experiences of resistance and enthusiasm.”

After the victory over the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Middle East, said the MUB, the repressive forces of the AKP, National Movement Party, and jihadist groups have reorganized and pose an even greater threat to the region. They are preparing to commit acts of ethnic cleansing surpassing the magnitude of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, they added.

Significant sacrifices have been made on behalf of the entire world in the war against ISIS, all in pursuit of a safe, modern, and participatory life.

The statement concluded:

“We call on the US and Europe and all the democratic forces in the world to urgently deter the dark and radical forces that are hostile to moral and human values and seek to pressure the AANES. We strongly condemn the brutal attacks and offer condolences to families of the martyrs, the AANES leaders and the peoples of Zalin. We also call on all humanity to stand up to the ethnic cleansing and war waged by Turkey and the fascist leaders in the region against peoples of North and East Syria.”