92 multi-faith organizations sign letter urging US Government to halt Turkish attacks on North and East Syria

WASHINGTIN, D.C. — Ninety-two organizations signed a multi-faith letter organized by participants of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable called on the US government to use all available mechanisms to intervene and cease the ongoing Turkish attacks on North and East Syria. The signatories expressed deep concern over the escalating situation and highlighted the critical need for intervention.

The letter underscored that the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region in North and East Syria (DAARNES) stands as a beacon for religious freedom in the Middle East. With its commitment to three official languages — Syriac, Arabic, and Kurdish — and a guarantee of equal rights for all citizens, DAARNES provides an environment conducive to religious diversity.

The letter conveyed disappointment at the lack of decisive US action to halt the Turkish attacks, emphasizing the dire consequences faced by over 2 million citizens currently living without essential resources such as water and electricity.

Addressing the threats posed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ambitions to occupy a “safe zone,” the letter highlighted the potential eradication of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria, including the world’s oldest Christian communities. The signatories expressed alarm at Turkish targeting of religious minority areas, notably the agricultural lands of Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) Christians in the Khabur River Valley, a region previously targeted by the Islamic State (ISIS) during its genocidal campaign.

The letter recognized the White House’s acknowledgment of extraordinary threats to US national security and foreign policy resulting from Turkish attacks in North and East Syria. It stressed that allowing these attacks to persist destabilizes the region, endangers religious and ethnic minorities, and poses a significant threat to US national security and foreign policy interests.

The letter concluded with a firm call for the US Administration of President Joe Biden to take immediate measures to prevent any Turkish air or ground attacks on North and East Syria. Among the signatories were prominent organizations such as the American Syriac Union, European Syriac Union (ESU), the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria, Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) in Lebanon, Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA), Bethnahrin Women’s Union (Huyodo d’Neshe d’Bethnahrin, HNB), Federation of Syriac associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF), and various international figures and institutions associated with the Bethnahrain National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB).