ROJ HOZAN

Qamishlo- The Democratic Nation Project, which was put into practice following the Rojava Revolution, also a women’s revolution, embraces all people regardless of their nations and religions. However, Turkey and many sovereign states see this project as a threat against them. The Turkish state has carried out its attacks on North and East Syria, particularly on Afrin, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî since November 19, 2022. The main aim of the Turkish state is to depopulate the region in order to invade more areas. It also aims to spread the threat posed by ISIS in the region. NuJINHA spoke to Şîlan Ehmed, a member of the Future Syria Party, about the ongoing Turkish attacks on the region.

‘People defend their lands’

Mentioning the existence of a joint war plan designed by the Turkish state and international powers, Şîlan Ehmed said, “The Turkish state has carried out attacks against the will and revolution of our people for years. The Turkish state wants to avenge its defeats by attacking us. The stance and resistance of our people against these brutal attacks are honorable. Our people resist attacks because they know that resisting attacks is their own duty. Our people are aware of the aims of these attacks and defend their lands.

‘We expect practical steps, not condemnation’

Pointing to the attacks targeting the infrastructure of the region, Şîlan Ehmed said, “The aim is to prevent people from meeting their needs. The Turkish state aims to invade our life resources. There are international conventions protecting civilians and their life sources; however, no state has taken a step for our region. The international community should take a step to protect civilians in the region. Not only Kurds but also Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians and Turkmens live in this region. After every attack on civilians, human rights organizations condemn the attack. We expect practical steps from them, not condemnation. The airspace of Syria should be closed to the Turkish state in order to protect civilians. Now, the Turkish state openly commits war crimes in our region and violates the international conventions. All states support the Turkish state and its brutal attacks on civilians by remaining silent against these brutal attacks.”

‘ISIS still poses threat’

Underlining that ISIS still poses a threat to the whole world, she said, “After ISIS was defeated, the people had a safe life in the region. However, the Turkish attacks on the region have destroyed the security in the region. There thousands of ISIS members are imprisoned in our region. We know that the threat of ISIS continues in al-Hol camp. ISIS members tried to escape from the camp during the last Turkish attacks on the region. There are sleeper cells of ISIS in the region and they reorganize themselves. We do not have to hold them in our region. Although all states unite against us, we will keep defending ourselves and our region.”

‘We will not allow the Turkish state to invade new areas’

Pointing to the resistance and unity of the people against the Turkish attacks, Şîlan Ehmed said, “The unity of the people against this situation is a matter of honor. People and political parties must unite to defend and protect our region because we face a brutal enemy. When the enemy attacks, we must resist. We will not allow the Turkish state to invade new areas.”