People of Jarablus object to the Turkish army’s invasion of their town on August 24. Salih Hüseyin Ahmet, resident of a village near Jarablus, recalled the snatching of Hatay away from Syria in 1939 and said that Turkey could not occupy Jarablus as it annexed Hatay in the past. Ahmet warned that people of Jarablus would stand against the occupation and not let the Turkish army invade the region again.

Salih Hüseyin Ahmet emphasized the collaboration between the Turkish state and ISIS gangs, and said that the two groups traded oil and had close relations when the gangs had control of Jarablus.

İbrahim Semio İsmail, a teacher from Jarablus, said that the Turkish invasion happened when Jarablus Military Council fighters began to take action for the liberation of the town. İsmail recalled the Turkish state’s relation with ISIS, and said that the Turkish army shelled civilians during the occupation.

İsmail stated that Turkey opened the gates of Syria to the gangs and insulted the values of the region’s people with its invasion, and condemned Erdoğan’s attack on the people’s values and resources.

Lastly, İsmail reiterated Jarablus residents’ belief that people would have liberty and educate their children freely in the near future.