In a statement on the third anniversary of the occupation of Girê Spî (ar: Tal Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (ar: Ras al-Ain), the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) called for international action to end the Turkish occupation attacks.

The AANES statement released on Sunday includes the following:

“The Turkish occupation and intervention in Syrian territories is seen by not only the regional community but all the people of Syria. The Turkish state has been seeking to Turkify the region in an attempt to revive the Ottoman and Misak-ı Milli [National Pact; a plan drawn up in the Ottoman parliament in the early 1920s, which envisages a Turkish territory including Thrace, northern Syria and northern Iraq]. Through political and military bargaining and the use of terrorist groups and mercenaries, it seeks to start an ethnic and civil war. On the other hand, it tries to eliminate the democratic projects that constitute a solution to the Syrian crisis. To this end, it occupied Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê on 9 October 2019. Through the mercenary groups involved in corruption, massacre and looting, it tries to obliterate the history, culture and ethnical composition of the region.

Turkey displaced hundreds of thousands of people from Afrin, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî and settled the families of mercenaries in their place. With this, the Turkish state wants to change the demographic structure and turn the region into a safe haven for mercenary groups that have been defeated by the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and the International Coalition.

As the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, we will consolidate our struggle in all areas to free the occupied territories from savage terror and to ensure that the Turkish state is prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Turkish UCAV attacks on North-East Syria, use of prohibited weapons and instigation of fear and unrest is a continuation of its occupation policy.

This occupation would not have occurred if it had not been for the ambiguous international politics, especially the policy followed at the time by the United States of America. The people of the region fight terror with the support of the International Coalition, and they pay the price for this policy.

We call on the International Coalition, guarantor states and the international community to uphold their moral and legal responsibilities, to act quickly, to stop the Turkish state’s occupation attacks and to eliminate all its effects. Furthermore, a clear stance should be taken against Turkey’s occupation policy and to ensure the safe return of the indigenous population. The Turkish state, which is an occupant force in the region, weakens our international struggle against terror and prevents the achievement of lasting solutions to the crisis in Syria.”