Turkey’s intensification of its attacks on Kurdish areas of northern Syria has sparked widespread condemnation from the local community and calls for international intervention.
Two separate press statements denouncing the Turkish government’s actions have been issued in Qamishli (Qamishlo) Canton in response to the recent escalation, while a torchlight march was held in Al-Thawrah (Tebqa) in Raqqa Governorate on Sunday.
The Syrian Kurdish protestors stressed their determination to resist Turkey’s aggressive policies against the Kurdish-led autonomous administration. They called on the United Nations and Russia to clarify their positions on these attacks, urging them to establish a no-fly zone in the region and deploy international forces to halt Turkey’s offensives.
The medical staff of Avrin Hospital in the town of Fafeen, northern Aleppo (Heleb), also voiced their condemnation of the Turkish shelling of Tal Rifaat (Til Rifat) Hospital.
The attack, which occurred the day before, resulted in casualties and significant material losses. Tel Rifaat Hospital plays a crucial role in providing healthcare services to displaced people from Afrin (Efrîn).
The medical staff denounced Turkey’s deliberate targeting of Tel Rifaat Hospital in their statement, describing it as an attempt to intimidate the local population and displace them from the area. They further criticised the silence of Russian forces, who have been responsible for enforcing a ceasefire agreement between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces since 2019.
Tel Rifaat, like Fafeen, falls under the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). The town serves as a refuge for internally displaced persons from Afrin, a region that has been under the control of Turkey and its ally the Syrian National Army since Turkey’s military operation “Olive Branch” in 2018.
