The population of the occupied territories in northern Syria is subjected to all kinds of harassment. The Turkmen population, supposedly under the protection of Turkey, also suffers from the state terrorism of the Erdoğan regime. In Serêkaniyê (Arab. Ras al-Ain), the ‘Rasulayn Turkmen Council’ was founded by the occupying forces from loyalist settlers. There are practically no Turkmen inhabitants in Serêkaniyê who were not brought to the region by Turkey during the invasion. Turkmen refugees are threatened. One of these Turkmen citizens, Huseyin Halil from Serêkaniyê, was threatened with having his head cut off and a picture of his family sent to him. Halil had to leave the region and describes in an interview with ANF the situation of the Turkmen population in Serêkaniyê.

"The first attack of Turkish fighter jets targeted civilians"

Halil is forty years old and the father of two children. Originally from Landura district in Aleppo, Halil's family came to Serêkaniyê 60 years ago because of the tyrannical head of a Turkmen tribe called "Bilal Bey". Halil tells about the beginning of the Turkish attacks on Serêkaniyê: "We had to leave our home on the third day of the attacks. The Turkish government claimed they were attacking terrorists. We had not seen a single terrorist in the city. The invading forces themselves brought many terrorists from radical organizations to the city. When they arrived, looting and thefts began. The situation was bad, they burned houses with civilians. They killed many innocent people. They even killed civilians who had no weapons simply because they were Kurds. The attacks were not only against the Kurds. They also murdered Turkmen, Arab and Syriac people. The first attack by the Turkish fighter jets was against the civilian population. I witnessed it myself."

"Turkmens should not let themselves be instrumentalized by Turkey"

Regarding life before the invasion, Halil said: "We lived together as brothers and sisters with all population groups. There was no difference between us. This life should be destroyed with the attacks." He continues, "But no matter where we are, we continue to live as brothers and sisters. Those who want to set us against each other should know that we are all children of this country and we will stand together until we die."

Local population replaced by occupation troops

Halil continued: "With the attack, the population of Serêkaniyê was expelled and loyalists from Idlib, Bab, Hama, Aleppo and Dara were settled in their place. Most of the inhabitants have left Serêkaniyê. Only about 100 to 150 families, whose material situation was extremely bad, remained there. Apart from these, all the people who live in Serêkaniyê today are foreigners."

"All Turkmens originally living there have fled"

"Now a so-called Turkmen Council has been established in Serêkaniyê. There are no Turkmen residents of the city still living there. That's why I didn't understand how this was going to work. It is a matter of propaganda. The original Turkmen inhabitants have all fled to the areas under the control of the autonomous administration. Why didn't the Turkish state under Erdoğan and Bahçeli, which is now supposedly taking care of the Turkmens, do something 50 years ago? Turkey does not care about us. It should leave us alone with its dirty schemes. If it had thought about us, it would not have bombed us. It would not have occupied our city with gangs of criminals it has carted together from everywhere. If it was so sure of itself, it should make the whole situation in the city public. The Turkish media is distorting reality."

"Since I left Serêkaniyê, I have been threatened"

Huseyin Halil was directly threatened by two members of the occupation forces. He said, "They called me and threatened me. Since I left Serêkaniyê, I have been threatened. They also wrote to my brother in Beirut and said, 'We will behead your brother and send you his picture.' They come from somewhere else and threaten the original owners of Serêkaniyê."

Appeal to the Turkmen: "Erdoğan is using you"

Halil appealed to his community with the following words: "My Turkmen brothers and sisters, why didn't the Turkish government help us 50 years ago, but now all of a sudden they want to take care of us? Think about it. Erdoğan is using you and can sell you out again at any time. Don't let him make you a tool. He sold Homs and Aleppo and now he is selling Idlib. The Syrian regime is attacking in Idlib. Why is Erdoğan not doing anything there? We want to go back to our city. We want these inhumane criminal gangs to leave our city."