The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council issued a statement to condemn the attack by Turkey on 28 February targeting three Sotoro (Assyrian/Syriac Defense Forces) members in Dêrik.

The statement said: "Following another attack by the genocidal imperialist Turkish state on February 28, 2024, three Sotoro members were martyred while two members were injured after the Assyrian defense forces were targeted in the city of Dêrik.

To begin with, we honor and commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution and of democracy, including the three Sotoro members who gave their lives while on duty. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Assyrian people and the people of Northern and Eastern Syria. We deeply condemn the enemy of the people, the fascist AKP-MHP regime, and this horrific massacre by the Turkish state."

The statement added: "In solidarity with all the peoples of the world, we acknowledge the suffering of our Assyrian-Syriac people. With this attack, the Turkish state and the fascist AKP-MHP administration have once again shown their aggressive, homicidal, and fascist face and proven that they are hostile to the peoples. The Turkish state’s murderous mindset and politics have become so ingrained that it has a profound fear of the liberation of the peoples and uses this fear to target all peoples alike. Like a scorpion, it spits poison. With these racist, genocidal, and fascist sentiments, the Turkish state assaults the Rojava Revolution and the peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria, carrying out murders on a daily basis. We denounce all the assaults and killings carried out by the Turkish government and urge all peoples to strengthen their solidarity and unity in the face of this brutal and deadly enemy."

The statement continued: "The Assyrian-Syriac people are one of the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. With their rich cultural legacy and deeply ingrained history, the Assyrian-Syriac people have also endured numerous atrocities and immense suffering. In the past too, genocide was committed against the Assyrian-Syriac people by the murderous imperialist Turkish regime. With the Rojava Revolution, the Assyrian-Syriac people gained the freedom to live according to their language, culture, religion, and history and to exercise their will like any other people after a century of atrocities and suffering. The Turkish government, unwilling to accept this, is attempting to repress the peoples and force them back into slavery through occupation, attacks, and massacres. The Turkish government is slaughtering people in public, destroying lives, and committing atrocities in broad daylight.

The solidarity of the Kurds with the peoples of the Middle East and Mesopotamia and their shared desire for freedom is the main reason of the Turkish state’s enmity towards the Kurdish people. The AKP-MHP government now seeks to sever the peoples’ solidarity through these attacks, playing century-old games and policies to turn the people against one another. Targeting the Assyrian people and their defense forces in Rojava is part of this game. Nevertheless, the stance of the Kurdish people and the Kurdish Freedom Movement has always been one of solidarity, and this stance has rocked the foundations of genocidal colonialism."

The statement concluded: "The freedom of the Kurdish people, as well as the Assyrian-Syriac people, is a source of anxiety and hatred for the AKP-MHP government. The fact that the Assyrian language was spoken in the Turkish parliament on World Mother Language Day, among other languages, was met with outrage by the AKP-MHP government. Now this attack on February 28 is a result of the same enmity.

Through a united effort, we believe that our Assyrian-Syriac people will destroy the AKP-MHP government’s intentions for genocide by further enhancing their solidarity within the framework of the paradigm of the ‘Democratic Nation’.

We again offer our condolences to the Assyrian-Syriac people for their martyrs and hope that the wounded heal quickly. The Assyrian-Syriac people, like the Kurdish people, should not flee their country; rather, they should protect their homeland alongside the other peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria."