Turkey is waging an unlawful war against the civilian population in North and East Syria, the Defend Kurdistan Initiative stated on Thursday, in a call for international action on 29 and 30 December to halt Turkish military aggression and defend the Kurdish self-administration.
Since 23 December, the Defend Kurdistan Initiative has reported a significant escalation in Turkey’s military campaign against the autonomous region of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava. Turkey has been accused of bombing civilian infrastructure and settlement areas, targeting energy facilities, a train station, a printing office, a sewing shop and a COVID-19 hospital. These attacks, according to the Initiative, represent a war against the civilian population and the self-administration structures of the region.
The Initiative recalled a similar Turkish offensive in October involving 580 air and ground attacks, predominantly targeting key infrastructure. It underscored the crimes committed by Turkey, NATO’s second-largest military power, against the population in North and East Syria. The Turkish state stands accused by the Initiative of conducting a war against life and the democratic societal model in the region, purportedly under the guise of “fighting terrorism”.
The international community has also been criticised for their significant role in this situation.
The Initiative called for a joint struggle against what they describe as a “war machine, fuelled by capitalist states”. They urged participation in days of action on 29 and 30 December, through rallies, demonstrations, flyer campaigns and actions that put pressure on established politicians to break the silence on these attacks.
In a broader context, the Defend Kurdistan Initiative stands against what they frame as Turkey’s occupation of South Kurdistan (North Iraq) and Western Kurdistan or Rojava (North and East Syria). The Initiative, comprising politicians, human rights advocates, journalists, academics, feminists and activists from Europe, called for international action to stop Turkish aggression, support Kurdish resistance, and oppose Turkish President Erdoğan’s “neo-Ottoman expansionist project”.