Turkish policy of Turkification and demographic change in Afrin

Turkish policy of Turkification and demographic change in Afrin

Local sources confirmed that the process of demographic change is taking place in Afrin in a clear way. Fifty families were evacuated from the eastern Ghouta to Janderis, west of Afrin.

The Documenting and Files Preparing Committee under the Foreign Affairs Body of Democratic Self-Administration in Rojava-North of Syria released the following detailed report regarding the Turkish occupation policy of Turkification and demographic change in Afrin.

“Turkey could implement its occupation plans in Afrin through a group of political claimers, who claimed of representing the interests of the Syrian people. However, this group ended up with what we see today of losing the rights of people. It abandoned the interests of all components of "Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Chechen, and Armenians" in order to achieve its interests.

The racist, nationalist, religious and doctrinal state, which the fascist forces seek to establish, denies the history and identity of the native peoples of the region, and seeks to threaten their existence and eliminate their culture.

The occupation of the city of Afrin by the Turkish army and the mercenary factions and following the policy of Turkification to annex the region to Turkey, brings to mind its policy, which was followed in many occupied areas earlier, such as Jarablus and al-Bab.

Therefore, the policy of Turkification adopted in Afrin was planned by the Turkish State earlier. The Turkish government sought to implement it after its occupation of Afrin city, to change the demography of Afrin Canton, and replace it with Turkish identity.

The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries forced the schoolchildren to carry the Turkish flag. Some sites published a mercenary, who asked them to thank Erdogan. It should also be noted that education stopped in Afrin city for about two months during the period of the Turkish attack; that is because of the continued bombardment of schools. Turkey is controlling the fate and future of generations.

The continuation of brutal practices against the people and the Turkish army's violations of international laws have caused the displacement of thousands of civilians to places near Afrin, resulting in the evacuation of the area from its native inhabitants.

This in addition to arresting the civilians, who remained in Afrin, by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, in order to force the rest of the people to leave their homes, so that the families of mercenaries will settle there.

The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries took advantage of the vacuum in the city of Afrin to change its demography and brought the families of mercenaries into their homes. The families of the terrorist militias were settled in the villages of Akbes and Mosacow at the request of the Turkish army.

This is the beginning of a new Turkish process in the city of Afrin, by seizing the deserted villages and practicing all kinds of violence and violations against all people without distinguishing between women, children and the elderly.

Local sources confirmed that the process of demographic change is taking place in Afrin in a clear way. Fifty families were evacuated from the eastern Ghouta to Janderis, west of Afrin.

On the other hand, in conjunction with the demographic change, the pro-Turkish terrorist militias prevent the people of Afrin Canton from returning to their homes. At a time the people of Afrin live in difficult conditions, process of demographic change is being carried out secretly and publicly and without any worldly reaction.

The change makes it even more dangerous. The Turkish occupation is cutting off the Syrian territories and ruining its foundations and social values, which are one of the biggest pillars of its stability.

First: There are demographic changes that have undermined the peaceful coexistence in Syria.

Second: changes caused by destruction and conflict are not directly related to the sectarian dimension.

Third: the replacement of the native population with the families of mercenaries by the Turkish occupation, recently witnessed in the Syrian city of Afrin.

The Turkish occupation aims through the settlement process carried out in Afrin, to create strife, sectarian and ethnic conflicts among the inhabitants of the region of "Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen" etc.

The practice of the Turkish army and its loyal mercenary factions is only an affirmation that the "aim of the Turkish invasion" from the beginning is to exterminate the Syrian people in general and the Kurdish in particular in Afrin. As well as provoking strives among the Syrian people. All this to serve the fascist Turkish agendas, prolong the Syrian crisis and make deals at the expense of life and future of the people.

Amid the international silence, civilians in Afrin are facing the worst fascist practices by the Turkish Occupation State and its mercenaries (the Free Army, al-Nusra Front and ISIS). Starting from the genocidal war, which targeted the history and present of the region and the right of the Kurdish people of a free and dignified life, in parallel to the military occupation that have violated, and still, all international human rights' laws.

Perhaps the most terrible of these practices is to bring the families of mercenaries who participate in the fascist Turkish attacks, as well as families of Atma, Azaz and Turkey (Klas) to Afrin. In addition, members of the Turkmen component in Iraq were brought to the villages of Shia "Sheikh al-Hdid" and Jendirs.

A local source in Afrin said that the city is witnessing continuous robberies by the terrorist militias of the Turkish Occupation State. Videos and pictures published from Afrin city confirm that.

The Turkish occupation, along with the terrorist factions, on April 21, 2018, emptied a village in the neighborhood of Shara from its people. The villagers were taken to Jaman village.

The Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries are preventing dozens of families from entering the village.

The names of the people who were expelled from the village with their family as follows:

1. Othman Arif Omer's family.
2. Haji Arif Omer's family.
3. Ramadan Seydo Omer's family.
4. RahmanYasinKhalil'sFamily.
5. MuhammedSeydoMoustafa'sfamily.
6. Shukri Seydo Moustafa's family.
7. MuhammedHamidBakir'sfamily.
8. YusifQenjo'sfamily.
9. Rifaat Yasin Khalil's family.

The families of new mercenaries have been settled in the neighborhoods of Mahmudiya and villat in the center of the city. They settled in luxury houses, especially as the villat neighborhood is considered one of the finest neighborhoods in Afrin.

The families were also forcibly relocated, as the operation was not limited to removing doors and taking over homes, but taking the homes where civilians are still settling in. Some families are surprised to find strange families in their own houses when they are away for hours.

Sites supporting mercenaries confirmed that 1,148 mercenaries accompanied by their families arrived in Afrin Canton, after leaving eastern Qalamoun, near the Syrian capital of Damascus.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the second group of displaced people from the towns of Jeroud, al-Atna, al-Nasiriyah and al-Reheiba headed to the north of Syria. The group includes more than 30 buses carrying at least 1,200 mercenaries from the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar Al-Sham al-Isalamiya.

Since the invasion of Afrin on 18 March, hundreds of families of mercenaries have been housed in the areas of Afrin, which were expelled from the countryside of Damascus following an agreement between Turkey, Russia and the Syrian regime.

It can be said that Turkey in its alliance with the mercenaries are carrying out a total extermination against the Kurdish people in the city of Afrin and other areas in northern Syria. They are also following the policy of demographic change in the region to achieve the goal of the tyrant Erdogan to control the Syrian Afrin.

The situation escalated further after the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries of Al- Qaeda entered the city of Afrin, where it became even more dangerous with the violations against civilians. The looting of civilian shops and property in the city has been documented.

Therefore, because of recent developments in Afrin, which put the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in danger, we call on the international community to intervene quickly to stop the Turkish aggression on Afrin, prevent the displacement of people and to return them to their areas. Moreover, to ensure the preservation of their properties, civil rights and to provide urgent relief to hundreds of thousands of displaced people fleeing the war imposed on them. Moreover, to expel the Turkish occupation army from all over Afrin and to punish all partners and instigators in this brutal aggression.”

The organizations signing this statement are:

1. Human Rights Organization in Cazira Canton.

2. Common Ground Organization.

3. Baladna Organization.

4. Ashti Peace Building Center.

5. Peace Leaders Network.

6. Doz For Development Organization.

7. Shawishka.

8. Ster For Development Organization.

9. Sara Anti-Violence Against Women Organization.

10. Kurds Without Borders Organization.

11. Union Of Lawyers In Cazira.

12. Social Justice Council.

13. Kurdish Red Crescent Organization.