Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) released a written statement marking the second anniversary of the occupation of Afrin which began on January 20, 2018.

The statement reads as follows:

“On this day of the year 2018, the Turkish occupation forces heavily armed with all types of heavy weapons and with the participation of the factions of the so-called Free Army, began their barbaric aggression on the city of Afrin, which led to martyrdom of hundreds and displacement of tens of thousands.

Pursuing a policy of annihilation through land and air strikes, the Turkish state continues with its demographic change operations, systematic forced displacement, plundering and theft by mercenaries affiliated to Turkish state.

From the start, Turkey was a key regional player with its goals and eternal dream, as the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government seeks to restore the glories of the Ottoman Sultanate and will do anything to achieve this dream. This was evident from the beginning of the Syrian crisis that entered its ninth year.

The Turkish ambitions in the Syrian lands are clear despite its politicians pretending to show sympathy and claiming to weave relations on the basis of good neighborhood, but the detours that swept the political life in the country were sufficient to show those Turkish ambitions.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis that started in 2011, the affairs appeared to be so indisputable regarding Turkish colonial intentions and nostalgia for the Ottoman history with the occupation of Jarablus, Al-Bab, Azaz and their hidden hatred towards the peoples of the region under the pretext of preserving the borders, forgetting that their country is a source of terrorism and a center for terrorists from all over the world and has become a safe passage for terrorist organizations crossing to Syria.

Afrin was one of the most secure areas of Syria as it received many displaced people from different Syrian regions, but after the Turkish attack, Afrin became one of the regions that witnessed violence, clashes, looting, vandalism, destruction and demographic change the most. Thousands from different areas of Syria, especially from Idlib, were resettled in Afrin in an attempt to change the demography under great international silence.

We in Syrian Democratic Council remember this tragic disaster with great sadness against our people in Afrin. We appeal to the international community, the Security Council, the Human Rights Organizations, the countries of the Alliance and the Russian Federation to end the Turkish occupation of Afrin and ensure the return of its forcibly displaced people to their homes.

We address our people in Syria to join together and stand up hand in hand by declaring of a comprehensive liberation war for the lands occupied by Turkey, first and foremost Afrin. We promise our people in Afrin that we are continuing the political struggle in all international forums, supporting our heroic forces to liberate Afrin, which will remain one of our priorities in any political solution to the Syrian crisis in the next phase.”