11 Kurds kidnapped in Afrin since the NATO meeting in Madrid

Spokesperson of the Afrin Human Rights Organization, İbrahim Şêxo, said that the crimes committed in Afrin increased after the last NATO meeting when 11 Kurds were kidnapped, and an elderly citizen was killed in the city.

Following the NATO meeting in Madrid, Spain on June 30, the Turkish state has increased its crimes against the people in North and East Syria, specifically in the regions it has occupied together with jihadist allies.

According to the Afrin-Syrian Human Rights Organization, Turkey has increased its crimes of killing, kidnapping and harassing citizens in the occupied regions in order to displace the local population and to undermine the security of the region. Moreover, the Turkish state, which threatens to invade Til Rifat and Manbij, is currently targeting the civilian people with tanks, bombings and fighter jets.

In an interview with ANHA media outlet, spokesperson of the Afrin Human Rights Organization, İbrahim Şêxo remarked that the Turkish state was not satisfied with the occupation of Afrin, Serekaniye and Girê Spi, and sought now to expand its occupation toward other regions.

CRIMES INCREASED AFTER JUNE 28

“The invaders are committing all kinds of crimes in the areas they have occupied and they have increased criminal acts especially after the NATO meeting on June 28. It is reported that 11 Kurdish citizens have been kidnapped, and an elderly person killed in Afrin since. In the meantime, Turkey is threatening to invade other parts of Syria,” Şêxo said.

TURKEY UNDERMINES REGION’S SECURITY

Şêxo also spoke about Turkey’s plan to create a 30 km buffer zone in Syria under the pretense of “protecting its national security”. He continued: “Having already subjected the region to massacres and committed grave crimes against the residents of the region, the invading Turkish state is now trying to create a so-called 'buffer zone' in Syria. Moreover, in Bab, Jarablus, Azaz and Afrin, Turkey-backed mercenaries are fighting each other and jeopardizing the lives of the local residents.”

According to Şexo, all the signals indicate that Turkey had received the approval to kill the people of the region at the NATO meeting. Appealing to international organizations and states concerning the Syria issue, he said: “Do not allow Turkey to attack North and East Syria in any case. Stop crimes and violations against civilians in the occupied territories.”