Two years ago Turkey occupied Afrin, hundreds of thousands of people had to flee from the Turkish troops and their jihadist proxies. In northern and eastern Syria, the anniversary has again prompted calls for the Turkish state to withdraw from Afrin and the other occupied territories.

Autonomous administration: No peace under Turkish occupation

The autonomous administration described the fight for the return of the people displaced from Afrin as a priority task and appealed to the UN to investigate the crimes committed under the occupation. The international public and the Syrian government must work for an end to the occupation, a statement published today said and underlined that: "The problems in Syria can only be solved if the Turkish occupation comes to an end. As long as the threats of the Turkish state continue, Syria cannot become a safe and stable country."

Mazlum Abdi: Liberation of Afrin is a priority

SDF Commander General Mazlum Abdi explained on Twitter that Afrin is at the top of the list of priority topics: "In our work with the international community, the return of the local population to Afrin and the withdrawal of foreigners is a priority. It is the responsibility of the international community to stop the violations and war crimes that take place in Afrin almost daily."

Protests in numerous cities

In numerous cities, local people's councils protested against the Turkish occupation. At the Veger Camp in Shehba, where displaced people from Afrin have been living in tents for two years, a statement by the Shehba Canton Council was read out. The declaration referred to the almost two-month resistance against the second largest NATO army and demanded that Erdogan be brought before a war crimes tribunal.

Similar statements were also made in Aleppo, Raqqa, Qamishlo, Hesekê, Tirbespiyê, Til Hemîs and other places.