The Syriac National Council of Syria, American Syriac Union, European Syriac Union issued a statement on the Turkish attacks in North and Eastern Syria.

The statement said: "On Sunday the 6th of October, 2019, the President of the USA issued a statement giving Turkey the green light to carry out a military invasion into the area controlled by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAA).

This decision will lead to a number of far reaching affects that will cause further instability in the region: 

- The unilateral withdrawal of USA forces will only benefit Turkey, Iran, Russia and the Assad regime. The DAA will have no choice but fearing brutal extinction similar to Afrin, to make a deal with Russia and the Assad regime to keep out the Turks. This means the end of this model of democracy that has worked in Syria and has successfully kept out a radical Islamic ideology. 

- The vacuum created by the USA withdrawal will give Iran the opportunity to strengthen the „Shiite crescent“ or „land bridge“ through the Al-Hassaka governorate down through Syria (and to meet up with Hizbollah and Lebanon). Currently American troops act as barrier against Iran (and ISIS). When they withdraw, the land east of the Euphrates will most likely be divided up between the Turks/Islamists in the north and the Assad/Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the south. In addition the current locations controlled by Turkey and their Islamist forces will be as dangerous and chaotic as the current areas Turkey maintains some control over; such as Idlib and Afrin. There will not be any peace in these areas. 

- When Turkey invades all the major cities housing Christians and Kurds along the Kurkish border this invasion will include Turkish troops and their mercenaries such as the so called Free Syrian Army, and a massacre will happen on a larger scale than what happened in Afrin.

Notably, there are no Christians left in Afrin (Turkey and its Islamist allies cleansed over 200 000 DAA citizens from Afrin in January 2018). A Turkish invasion will result in massive flows of refugees as they escape another Turkish genocide.

Our experience of Turkey’s ethnic cleansing in Afrin, Syria, after they occupied it should indicate Turkey’s real intentions in North and East Syria. Importantly they used jihadist groups who adhere to the same ideology as ISIS to commit human rights abuses, theft of property, and displacement of local communities." 

The statement issued a series of reccomendations:

"Implement a no-fly zone (similar to 1991), which will protect the people living in this area.

The International Coalition must immediately move its troops on to the border between NE Syria and Turkey. The continued presence of the International Coalition Forces in the areas of East of the Euphrates is a guarantee of stability for the region, and will prevent breakout of another war, which would have catastrophic consequences the geopolitical power balance and the DAA. Furthermore, these forces need to stay in place to hold off an ISIS insurgency.

The International Coalition should consider Christian and Arab forces to patrol these proposed buffer zone areas so as to decrease tensions with the Kurds and keep Turkish forces out of the DAA.

The International Coalition should insist that any political settlement requires the withdrawal of Iranian forces and their proxies from all Syria.

The international community should strongly resist all attempts by Turkey and other regimes to relocate Syrian refugees that are not from the DAA into this region.

Appeasement by withdrawing USA forces in favor of Turkey occupying and committing human rights abuses and atrocities in NE Syria, will ultimately lead to a significant conflict between the countries of the International Coalition Forces and NATO ally Turkey. It would seriously risk damaging the USA and Turkey’s fragile relationship, and cause greater isolation of Turkey on the world stage."