In a statement on the sixth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish state, Shengal Autonomous Administration said, "We believe that Afrin will soon be cleared of savage gangs and the people will return to their homes."
The statement was made at the Şehîd Dilgeş and Şehîd Berxwedan Cemetery of Martyrs on the slopes of Mount Shengal with the participation of families of martyrs and organisations affiliated to the Autonomous Administration.
The statement made by Riham Hasan, Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Shengal Autonomous Administration, said: "Until 2018, Afrin was a place that could be a model of democracy where Yazidis, Arabs and Kurds lived together with their own language and culture for thousands of years. Due to the interests of the hegemonic powers and the silence of the international community, Afrin was occupied by the invading Turkish state and its gangs on 18 March 2018."
Riham Hasan noted that the resistance of the people of Afrin against the occupation until today is historic and commemorated those who were martyred during the resistance.
Pointing out that the Turkish state has been committing inhumane crimes in the region for the last six years, the Autonomous Administration said, "The same inhumane practices that the ISIS gangs committed against the Yazidi people in Shengal with the support of the occupying Turkish state are continuing today in Afrin and the whole world is witnessing this. Yesterday it was Shengal, today it is Afrin."
The statement also reacted against the silence of the world and emphasised that what happened in Shengal and Afrin will never be forgotten.
The statement continued: "We say that Shengal and Afrin are one. We believe that with the resistance and struggle of the people of Afrin, Afrin will soon be cleared of those savage gangs and the people will return to their homes. Just as the Ottomans collapsed in the past, today the defeat of ISIS in Kobanê, Manbij, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Shengal will bring the end of the Turkish state."
Condemning the occupation, the Autonomous Administration of Shengal appealed to all international organisations and called on them to "take your responsibilities and put an end to the genocidal practices of the occupying Turkish state and its gangs."
