“The Afrin area is an inseparable part of Syria and our forces the People's Protection Units have been undertaking a national duty for six years, protecting the area against the offensives of ISIS terrorists, al-Qaida, and others on Syrian soil, contributing to preserving the unity of the Syrian lands and national institutions,” read a statement issued by the Afrin government on Thursday.
Now under threat from “aggressive enmity” as Turkey tries to occupy Syrian land, the Afrin leaders called on “Syria to exercise its sovereign duty towards Afrin and protect its borders with Turkey from the occupying Turkish forces.”
They accused Damascus of not carrying out “its duty” to the region.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad has condemned Turkey’s operation in Afrin, including threatening to shoot down Turkish jets in its airspace.
Despite their warnings, however, Damascus has not followed through.
The Syrian leaders are propped up by Russia, which many believe gave Turkey the greenlight for its operation in Afrin when Moscow withdrew its forces from the area.
Kurdish forces have put up fierce resistance against Turkish forces and their allied Syrian militias. On Thursday, they claimed to have destroyed three Turkish tanks.
The Turkish army claimed to have “neutralized” 306 “terrorists,” naming Kurdish forces and ISIS, as of Thursday evening, the sixth day of their offensive. Turkey uses the term “neutralized” to refer to those killed, wounded, or removed from the battle field.
There are no credible reports of ISIS militants in the Afrin area.
