Nadine Maenza condemns Turkish attacks in North and East Syria, warns of risk of ISIS resurgence
NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — Nadine Maenza, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center and President of the International Religious Freedom Secretariat (IRF), stated on social media that,” “I celebrated with the people of Raqqa last week in Syria to commemorate their city’s liberation.” The US credits the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with liberating Raqqa from the Islamic State (ISIS).
Emphasizing that terrorist groups still pose an ongoing threat, Maenza condemned the current Turkish bombardment campaign which weakens the SDF and allied forces and strengthens ISIS and other extremists.
Maenza said that Turkey has targeted the SDF, nearby forces, and civilians with 1,031 attacks in recent days, resulting in 17 fatalities, including two children, and injuring 65 people, alongside the destruction of key infrastructure.
She decried the recent Turkish strikes on North and East Syria, stating they may facilitate ISIS’s resurgence and contradict the US objective of achieving a permanent defeat of ISIS. She also visited the villages of Tel Tal, near Tel Tamr in the Khabur River Valley, where she inspected conditions in the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) communities and reviewed projects by the Syriac Cross Organization for Relief and Development.
The US credits "local forces" for the liberation of #Raqqa from #ISIS while saying "terrorist groups remain a threat." Are they afraid to say "Syrian Democratic Forces" (#SDF)?
This is while #Turkey targets this "local force" & civilians with 1,031 attacks in the past few days,… https://t.co/7eTBNV1EkI
— Nadine Maenza (@nadinemaenza) October 27, 2024