The Turkish state launched an invasion operation on August 24, 2016 by entering Jarablus and expanded the invasion into Exterin, Azaz, Mare and al-Bab. In the operation to invade Northern Syria, they have targeted civilians in Shehba several times and carried out massacres.

The areas intensely targeted by the Turkish state after the Astana Treaty are villages and hamlets like Sheikh İsa, Tal Rifat, Um-Hosh and Ayn Daqne liberated by the revolutionary forces in intense clashes last year.

Nuri Akman from the Tal Rifat Turkmens talked about these attacks and said: “We do not accept the Turkish state’s invasion operation. We will defend our free life against any and all attacks and we will stay in our lands.”

“THEY STARTED TO ATTACK AFTER THEY ENTERED JARABLUS”

Akman said the following:

“As the Turkish state advanced in Jarablus and Shehba, ISIS left these areas to them. Some of the ISIS gangs cut their beards and changed their clothes to become Turkish soldiers or Euphrates Shield gangs. They attacked our areas. The Turkish state launched constant attacks with heavy weapons on Tal Rifat where I live and other places after they entered Jarablus.

They didn’t make a distinction between military or civilian, they kept bombing. In these bombings, our fields and homes suffered serious damages. Many homes were demolished. Almost 600 of our people were wounded. And they are all civilians.”

“THEY LAUNCHED 50 MISSILES INTO OUR AREA IN 2 DAYS”

Akman stated that the Turkish invasion forces increased their attacks on the liberated areas after the Astana Treaty was announced on May 6 and added: “For the last couple of days, there has been a constant attack on our areas. As I said, there were attacks before as well. Sometimes they bombed every day, and sometimes every other day. But they used much fewer bombs in those bombings. For example, in a previous bombing 2 to 10 missiles hit our areas in one day, whereas in these last 2 days there have been almost 50 missile hits. There are many attacks especially on Tal Rifat, Ayn Daqne, Maranez and Sed.”

“WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE TURKISH STATE’S INVASION”

Akman stated that in liberated areas intensely targeted by the Turkish state, the Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen people lived together in harmony and the Turkish state aimed to disrupt that. He continued:

“Before, there were FSA gangs. There was torture, there was no freedom and no jobs. There was no oil. There were a lot of theft and rapes. FSA gangs and those from the Tal Rifat people who joined those gangs were very cruel to us. We know ISIS, FSA, and those they call the Euphrates Shield Forces.

The FSA gangs tricked some people with dollars when they were here before and recruited them. But those are very few. Now together with them, the Turkish state is right across, attacking us. But we do not accept these attacks of the Turkish state. We will defend our land and our life.”

“WE WILL NOT ABANDON THE LIBERATED AREAS, WE WILL DEFEND THEM”

Nuri Akman stated that they were happy after the SDF forces liberated Tal Rifat, and concluded with:

“After our villages and our hamlets were liberated, we started to live together as the peoples. Electricity and oil was provided for us. Incidents like theft and rape stopped. We started to breathe again as human beings. Now we govern ourselves with the Shehba Democratic Assembly. We set up communes. We want to live freely on our land as the people.

From other regions of Shehba -especially from al-Bab- Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens are migrating into the liberated areas. As the peoples here, we try to greet them according with our own means. I am calling on the world: The Turkish state and their gangs are vile, they don’t allow for any life wherever they go. They are allowing the Turkish state’s and their gangs’ attacks for their own interests. We do not accept this. We will do whatever we have to to live freely on our land. We will stay in our lands and defend our free life.”