10/28/2024
Turkish attacks on northern Syria and Iraq
“The German Federal Government must condemn attacks that violate international law”
The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has criticized the German government’s silence on the attacks of NATO member Turkey on northern Syria, on Iraqi Kurdistan and other regions of northern Iraq, and on the genocide-ridden Yazidi heartland Sinjar. “The attacks are a clear breach of international law – which the German Federal Government is rightly demanding Russia to abide by. We expect a clear condemnation of the attacks and an end to any support for these attacks,” stated Dr. Kamal Sido, the STP’s Middle East Consultant, in Göttingen today.
The attack on the Turkish drone factory in Ankara on October 23 was committed by groups that operate within Turkey. The commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), General Mazlum Abdi, had publicly stated that the SDF and the Kurdish people had nothing to do with the attack. “Even Turkey admits that the attackers are Turkish citizens,” the Middle East expert said.
Die SDF are caught up in a war with the “Islamic State” (IS) and other Islamist militias that are backed or tolerated by Turkey. Abdi is of the opinion that the Turkish attacks could actually be helpful for IS. If the SDF are weakened, this increases the risk that – as in the course of previous Turkish attacks – thousands of IS members could escape from the prisons. The SDF are part of the “anti-IS coalition” and can rely on military support by the United States. Abdi appealed to the United States and to Russia to try and stop Turkey.
NATO, but also the US and Russia, have troops in the region and are monitoring the Syrian airspace. “Thus, they would be able to protect the people from the ongoing Turkish attacks. However, for geopolitical reasons, they have shown understanding for Erdoğan’s aggression, which is leading to a further destabilization of the region, causing millions of people to flee,” Sido criticized.
According to security forces in northern and eastern Syria (the Asayish), a total number of 18 people have been killed in the brutal attacks since October 23, and 68 were injured. Most of the victims are civilians. The other victims are members of the Asayish, who are trying to establish order and security in the civil war region. It is said that 129 combat drones and 15 combat aircraft were involved in the Turkish attacks until October 27 – amounting to a total number of 1168 individual strikes, including attacks with rocket launchers, tanks, and artillery. This is also confirmed by other sources in the region. The area under attack stretches approximately 600 kilometers in length, from the outskirts of Aleppo in the north-west of Syria to the Tigris in the north-east of the country, at the border to Iraq. The attacks are said to be aimed at service centers and other vital facilities and infrastructure, such as oil refineries, water and electricity plants, as well as bread factories, hospitals, and police stations.
According to the human rights activist, the fact that the German Chancellor and other NATO state leaders have recently expressed solidarity with Erdoğan – who is known for his aggressive policy against Kurds, Assyrians/Aramaeans, Armenians, Christians, and Yazidis – has caused outrage among many people in northern Syria, but also among their friends and relatives who have found shelter from war and expulsion in Germany or in other western European countries. Sido, who was born in northern Syria, is in close contact with the people there. “Anyone who – rightfully – labels Putin as a war criminal cannot at the same time show solidarity with Erdoğan, who is waging war against the Kurds and other minority groups,” Sido added.