On 9 October 2019, the Turkish army, led by jihadist and right-wing extremist mercenary troops, marched into northeast Syria and occupied the region around the cities of Girê Spî (Tall Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain). A reign of terror began under this occupation. Tens of thousands of people were displaced. As the UN has also documented, torture and kidnappings are the order of the day. Prisoners are also repeatedly deported to Turkey or murdered.

In its statement on the anniversary of the invasion, the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) calls for an independent investigation into the crimes of the AKP / MHP regime and the troops linked it. The statement reads: “The Turkish state has expelled the actual citenzs of this land. Those who remained in the occupied cities face all sorts of repression and oppression. Their houses and fields are looted. Children, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, all civilians are exposed to kidnappings and torture that often leads to death.”

The statement adds: “The Syrian Democratic Council strongly condemns the occupation of Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî. We appeal to the UN Security Council and to the countries active in Syria such as the USA and Russia as well as to the international public to end the occupation by the Turkish state and take their responsibility so that the displaced people can return to their homes.

We also call for an independent international commission to investigate the war crimes in Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, including the murder of the General Secretary of the Syrian Future Party, Hevrîn Xelef."