World Afrin Day draws protests in Erbil, Sulaimani, European cities
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Demonstrations opposing Turkey’s takeover of Afrin took place on Saturday, dubbed World Afrin Day, in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil, Sulaimani, and cities around the world, with protesters chanting slogans against Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Qasim Marzani, a member of the Afrin Support Group, told reporters that a delegation of protesters was prevented from delivering a message to the German consulate in Erbil by security agencies.
The message claimed Afrin was the safest place in war-ravaged Syria and that it had not fallen to ISIS or other terrorist groups.
It said the takeover of Afrin by Turkey and its Syrian proxies is an indicator that Ankara supports terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
The statement slammed the “global silence” of the international community on Turkey’s military actions in northern Syria.
Qasim Marzani, a member of the Afrin Support Group, told reporters that a delegation of protesters was prevented from delivering a message to the German consulate in Erbil by security agencies.
The message claimed Afrin was the safest place in war-ravaged Syria and that it had not fallen to ISIS or other terrorist groups.
It said the takeover of Afrin by Turkey and its Syrian proxies is an indicator that Ankara supports terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
The statement slammed the “global silence” of the international community on Turkey’s military actions in northern Syria.
The incursion into the northwest Syrian canton, involving Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, including the Free Syrian Army (FSA), began on January 20. Ankara claims it launched the operation with the aim of creating a buffer zone along Turkey’s southern border, pushing back the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey says are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a named terrorist organization. The groups deny the link.