WESTMINSTER DOWNING STREET – LONDON
Saturday, 21 December 2024
West Papua, Kurdish communities and friends joined solidarity with Kurds against the Turkey occupier, and they must stop attacking Kurdish people in Northern Syria ( Rojava Kurdistan) and illegal Turkey invasion Northern Syria.
Turkish occupation mercenaries launch a wide-ranging arrests campaign in the occupied city of Afrin
The mercenaries of the Turkish occupation have launched a wide-ranging arrests campaign against Kurdish citizens in the occupied city of Afrin and those who recently returned from forced displacement areas, on the pretext that they fired bullets to celebrate the New Year’s Eve, and they have kidnapped a number of Kurdish citizens and led them to an unknown direction on the accusation that they are dealing with self-administration.
Arrest and insult of upper sect civilians by the armed forces of Al-Sham Liberation Authority
In a new move that reflects repeated violations of minorities in Syria, an armed group has filed the arrest of a number of upper sect civilians in a rural area. Circulating videos have shown insulting the detainees, as one gunman forced a senior civilian to ‘howl like dogs’ under threat and humiliation.
The crisis began after elements believed to belong to the “Sham Liberation Authority” attacked the upper bed located in one of the upper majority areas. The assault included destroying the contents of the fireplace, burning it, and killing a number of the civilians who were inside it. This incident has sparked widespread outrage and led to angry demonstrations in the Syrian coastal cities, Homs, and Hama countryside, where protesters demanded the protection of the sanctities and accountability of those responsible for this crime
Demonstrations demand international protection and guarantees for minorities.
Protesters, who have come out in the cities of Tartous, Latakia and Homs, have demanded international intervention to protect Syria’s religious elements from repeated attacks, which extremist groups accuse of carrying out. They stressed the necessity to stop communal violations against minorities, assured that these actions are pushing the country towards a new cycle of communal conflicts and fighting.
The city of Afrin also witnessed attacks on the graves of the Izidi, while many Christian monuments in the Hama countryside were destroyed, and similar attacks targeted the religious symbols of the upper sect in the Homs Ariaf.
These practices open the door to escalating sectarian divisions, threatening to turn Syria into a state based on sectarian conflicts, unlike other Arab countries that have seen a security collapse following the political chaos.
The continuation of these attacks forces the international community and the Arab communities to move urgently to stop these violations and ensure that all components of the Syrian people are protected by preserving the national unity and the societal ladder.
Damascus Falls to Turkish-Backed Forces and Syrian Opposition Groups
Since , December 8, 2024, Turkish-backed jihadist factions and other Syrian Arab groups captured the Syrian capital, Damascus, following the flight of President Bashar al-Assad from the country.
Over the past week, these forces advanced through key cities, including Aleppo and Homs, swiftly taking control of numerous regions before reaching Damascus. Meanwhile, Kurdish forces have solidified their control over their territories, securing additional regions such as Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and the border areas of Bukamal. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also seized the remaining areas previously held by the Assad regime, eliminating the presence of the Syrian Arab Army.
In response, citizens in cities like Qamishli and Hassakeh took to the streets, celebrating by dismantling statues of former Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad.
In a statement issued on Sunday, SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi described the regime’s collapse as a pivotal moment for Syria, offering a chance to “build a new Syria.” Abdi underscored the significance of the regime’s fall, referring to it as a turning point in the nation’s history. In a message posted on the platform X, Abdi stated, “Syria is experiencing historic moments as we witness the fall of the authoritarian regime in Damascus.” He further emphasized that this change presents a unique opportunity to establish a Syria founded on democracy and justice, ensuring the rights of all its citizens.
The statement follows the departure of Bashar al-Assad to an undisclosed location, a move precipitated by the rapid advances of opposition forces through Homs and into Damascus, as reported by both Arab and Western media sources.
On January 20, 2018, Turkey launched its military operation under the code name “Olive Branch,” initiating an assault on villages and towns across the Efrîn region, West Kurdistan. Turkish forces, supported by tanks, armored vehicles, and extensive airpower, bombarded the area with heavy artillery and rocket launchers. Throughout the offensive, Turkish armed forces and allied Islamist militias committed severe human rights violations and war crimes against the civilian population—atrocities that persist to this day.
The Turkish state’s primary objective is to drastically alter the demographic makeup of Efrîn, reducing the Kurdish presence in the region. To achieve this, hundreds of thousands of Arab-Sunni and Turkmen families have been resettled in an area that was once predominantly Kurdish. Many of the men among these newly arrived settlers are armed and act with impunity, contributing to ongoing instability and oppression in the region.
Since this Turkish military offensive and the subsequent occupation of the area since 2018, the olive groves have also suffered greatly. Many of these plantations have been confiscated by pro-Turkish militias, depriving the original landowners of their source of income.
In Efrîn olive trees play a central role in agriculture and are an important economic factor for the population. Instead, the Turkish military and pro-Turkish militias are taking inhumane and anti-natural measures in the region: Alone in the year of 2020, around 72,000 olive trees were illegally felled. The total number of olive trees that have already been destroyed by the Turkish military and Islamists is estimated at over 200,000 trees. Around a third of the original 325 olive presses and 18 of 26 olive processing factories have been destroyed or removed. This is a catastrophe for the people in the region.
There are also reports of the illegal trade in olive oil exported from Efrîn and sold on international markets.
A permanent Turkish occupation of Efrîn could have serious consequences not only for the population and demography, but also for olive groves and natural forests that are unique in the eastern Mediterranean.