Residents of Raqqa, Hasakah, and Zalin protest Turkish attacks on Northern Syria, demand international action

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — Residents of Raqqa staged a demonstration on Sunday to denounce the escalating Turkish attacks on the regions of North and East Syria. The protest specifically condemned the Turkish targeting of officials and employees of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), highlighting the recent attack that claimed the lives of three members of the Zalin (Qamishli) Canton Council.

Representatives from civil society organizations, committee leaders, sheikhs, and respected tribal members joined the demonstration, which attracted a large gathering of city residents. Banners were carried by the participants, calling attention to the international silence surrounding the Turkish air and artillery strikes. They demanded the imposition of an air embargo on the region and urged the international community to hold Turkey accountable for its actions.

Sheikh Ali al-Ali, representing the Tay tribe in Raqqa, expressed strong condemnation of the Turkish escalations in northern Syria and any aggression against Syrian territory. “Turkey has ambition to occupy more Syrian territory,” he added.

Several days ago, the people of Hasakah and Zalin held their own demonstrations to protest the Turkish attacks on northern Syria. They held banners condemning the international community’s silence regarding the ongoing Turkish air and artillery strikes in the region. The demonstrators called for an immediate cessation of these attacks and an end to other Turkish violations.