International protection of Afrin: Syrian Kurds’ proposal to end Turkish occupation

Sarah Rashad

The Kurdish city of Afrin in Syria, which is currently under Turkish occupation, is witnessing a new development after twenty Syrian human rights organizations sent a request to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, and UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (IICISyria) Chairman Paulo Pinheiro to send human rights committees to monitor the situation in the city and put an end to Turkey’s activities.

The Reference obtained a copy of the letter, which states that Turkey’s violations and crimes against defenseless civilians in the Afrin region have reached the threshold of ugliness and inhumanity, increasing their rejection of the Turkish occupation of Kurdish areas. The signatories demanded an end to the Turkish occupation in Afrin and that the Kurdish areas under Turkish control be placed under international protection until a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian problem is found. They also called for the need to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the daily crimes and violations committed by Turkey in Afrin and other areas it occupies in order to document them and refer the cases to the relevant international bodies so they can put an end to these crimes and hold those responsible to account.

This comes after an incident in which a member of the Turkish-backed Hamza Division tried to take goods from a shop in Afrin without paying, causing a fight between him and the store’s owner. Hamza Division militants then assaulted the shop, angering the people of Eastern Ghouta until clashes ensued between the two groups.

After the Hamza Division fled its headquarters, Afrin’s self-administration military police found five Kurdish women inside the prison, indicating that the gunmen had kidnapped them.

The people demanded the removal of all Hamza Division headquarters in Afrin, as well as the handing over of all those involved to be held accountable, while also searching for the reason the women were detained at the headquarters in the first place.

This is not the first incident to erupt into clashes between the Kurds and the Turkish-backed militias, as these Kurdish cities witness daily quarrels and disputes due to the criminal activities carried out by the terrorist militias affiliated with Turkey.

Because of these policies, Turkey finds itself in a dilemma caused by the tension in Kurdish areas, as the militias are involved in entangling the people of these areas with Ankara in order to open the Kurdish regions to oil exploration, as Turkey has also done in Idlib and Libya.

For this reason, Turkey is trying to empty the Kurdish areas of militias by moving its elements to Libya and replacing Turkish soldiers with extremist elements.

This is part of Turkey’s goal to rearrange the scene in northern Syria by dismantling the militia factions and merging them into one entity under Ankara’s direct supervision.

Turkey faces international community

Syrian activist Omar Rahmoun believes that this development is important, because it embarrasses the Turkish side before the international community and makes Ankara responsible for what is happening due to its militias in the region.

However, he was banned from demanding that the Kurdish regions be placed under international protection, considering that the Kurds still trust the international community led by the United States despite the treachery they faced.

The Turkish-backed militias not only violate the rights of the people in Afrin, but in all areas under Turkey’s control, Rahmoun said, describing Turkey’s moves as a military occupation.