Tal Rifat people: determined to remain until all lands liberated

The population of the city exceeds 22, 000, some 7000 of them are indigenous people and the remainder are Afrin internally displaced persons (IDPs) according to the city council.

Tal Rifat is sued to be open to constant attacks and shelling by the Turkish occupation forces and the affiliated mercenary groups. Recently Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made threats to carry out a military incursion into the region with Tal Rifat and Manbij to on the targets. 

Citizen Abdul Rahman Hemo said : '' we are now at the centre of the town of Tal Rifat. We have heard a lot about the claims of the Turkish occupation state that the city is empty. These claims are fake and aims to frighten the people to leave their homes''.

Hemo affirmed that '' if we leave Tal Rifat we would head to Afrin, we will not head to another place. We will remain in  Tal Rifat until victory attained and Afrin liberated''.

Hemo affirmed that they are ready to stand up to the Turkish occupation state and would remain in the region to liberate all areas under the Turkish occupation forces and the affiliated mercenary groups.

While IDP citizen Farida Mohamed indicated that they went to Shahba areas four years ago and the Turkish threats continue since then up to date.

Farida affirmed that '' the locals in the city of Tal Rifat are open to the dangers of shells  that fall discriminately by the Turkish occupation forces and the affiliated mercenary groups on their houses on daily bases''. 

Fardia stressed that '' we, as women are ready to repel attacks of the Turkish occupation state and the mercenary groups on the region, and that we will never exit the city of Tal Rifat whatever the price''.

From his part, Co-0chair of the Tal Rifat Council   Mohamed Hannan said the colonial intentions of the Turkish occupation state are not limited to the city of Tal Rifat alone rather cover all the Shahba and the region at large to apply on the ground the Misak –i- Milli''.

Hannan noted to the recently circulated news on the Turkish state owned media outlets of displacement from the city of Tal Rifat saying '' it comes within the special war to frighten the citizens and to push them to leave their homes, the Syrian Government forces and the Russian military bases that present in the city years on the contrary to what is being circulated on the Turkish states owned media outlets''.

Hannan said that the pretext made by the Turkish occupation state to launch its aggression on the city if Afrin and its occupation repeats itself now to occupy Tal Rifat and other areas in Shahba canton under securing national security are fake.

At the end of his words Hanna affirmed that the people in the city of Tal Rifat comprehend very well the actual reality and that they are determined to resist and remain and will not retreat and work to liberate Afrin and all other occupied regions of Syrian territories.

L..A

ANHA