​​​​​​​Demonstration and statements denounce occupation of Afrin on its fifth anniversary

 The statement of the Autonomous Administration in the Euphrates region was delivered, in front of the headquarters of the Executive Council of the region in the city of Kobani, by a member of the Executive Council in the Euphrates region, Najah Mohieddin, in which it stated:

 Today, March 18, 2023, marks the fifth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish fascist occupation and the gangs called the Syrian opposition.  Thousands of its Kurdish population, amid the silence of international powers.

 He pointed out, "The Turkish invaders and their mercenaries have always targeted the presence of the Kurds in the Afrin region, by building settlements and settling immigrant families from outside the region, carrying out demographic change operations that affected the land and the people, confiscating citizens' property, imposing bribes, and committing crimes by the security services of the Turkish occupation there."

 The Autonomous Administration in the Euphrates region called on "international forces to fulfill their humanitarian obligations towards the people of the region, calling on the international coalition forces led by the United States of America to put an end to these violations."

 Demographic change continues in Afrin

For its part, the political parties in the Euphrates region made a statement, in the Free Woman Square in the city of Kobani, which was read by Shafin Agassi, a member of the Council of the Future Syria Party, in which it stated:

 "In a fierce barbaric attack against our people in Afrin and the use of all kinds of deadly forbidden weapons and warplanes, and despite the valiant and historical resistance shown by the People's and Women's Protection Units and our people's rally around this resistance that lasted 58 days and a constellation of its best sons sacrificed for this modern resistance and because of the lack of  equivalence in the balance of power, cities and towns were invaded in a barbaric manner. With it began practices of brutality in a systematic manner in killing, displacing, seizing property and homes, and the culture of looting and plundering antiquities, in addition to engineering demographic change in a scandalous scene in full view of the world and its paralyzed organizations in front of the interests of the hegemonic and controlling states  by international decisions.

 On this painful anniversary, we condemn this behavior and raise our voices loudly. We appeal to international bodies to stop these practices, end the Turkish occupation and all the groups associated with it, and find a quick solution to the suffering of our people in Afrin and a special Jandarise.

 "With the unity and struggle of peoples, we will liberate Afrin"

 As for the city of Manbij and its countryside, the Democratic Civil Administration in Manbij organized a demonstration, under the slogan "With the unity and struggle of peoples, we will liberate Afrin," on the fifth anniversary of the occupation of the city of peace, Afrin.

Members of the Democratic Civil Administration in Manbij and its affiliated institutions, civil lines and committees, representatives of political parties and institutions for women, notables and sheikhs of the tribes and the Manbij Military Council participated in the demonstration, raising pictures of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and banners reading "Afrin, peace be upon you," "Afrin  Ours and it will remain ours”, “Stand Up, O Afrin”, and “Afrin, the City of Peace”.

 The demonstration started from the Ship Roundabout, in the center of the city, and after they arrived at Al-Baraem Roundabout, west of the city, they stood a minute of silence in honor of the souls of the martyrs, after which the deputy of the Executive Council in the Democratic City Administration of the city of Manbij, Nora Al-Hamid, delivered a speech in which she glorified the Resistance of the Age in the city of Afrin five years ago. 

 He pointed out, "Fifty-eight days, our sons and daughters wrote the most wonderful epics of heroism, redemption, and resistance, in face of the latest lethal weapons, warplanes, and artillery bombardment of Turkish occupation of these areas.

 Stressing, "Despite all these violations and occupation, the resistance of the people of Afrin continues, and the resistance and revolution are renewed in northern and eastern Syria. In the spirit of the martyrs of Afrin every day, and we pledge to the righteous martyrs and the unity and struggle of our people; we will liberate Afrin sooner or later, and not give up this right."  With the return of all our occupied lands, despite the Turkish occupier.

For his part, the official spokesman of the Manbij Military Council, Shervan Darwish, delivered a speech in which he said: "We are here to confirm that our top priority, as the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Manbij Military Council, and the people of Syria as a whole, is to liberate every occupied inch, especially the city of Afrin. Let everyone know that the only forces that have  a project for a solution in Syria is the project of the democratic nation.

 "It is their resistance that gives us hope and the will to confirm that we are committed to liberating the city of Afrin. We will continue with sacrifices and resistance until we achieve victory," he concluded.

 In turn, Sheikh Fahd Shalash delivered a speech on behalf of the Future Syria Party in Manbij, in which he said, "Today, five years pass since the occupation of the city of Afrin, the city of love and peace, Zaytoun, the city that was a model of coexistence  it contained thousands of displaced people who were displaced by the war."

 Shalash showed the strategic importance of the city of Afrin, and the Turkish attack on it in front of the silence of the international forces, and the disappointment of the Damascus government, which withdrew its forces from the outskirts of the city, leaving the Syrian Democratic Forces alone facing the Turkish military arsenal, in which it used all its land and air force.

Shalash appealed to "international forces, human rights organizations and the United Nations, to oblige the occupying state to leave all occupied Syrian territories, and to hold it accountable for the violations it committed in the occupied territories, especially the city of Afrin.

In conclusion, Sheikh Fahd Shalash pledged to the people of the region that "by all available peaceful means, we will resist to liberate our country, especially the city of Afrin, because the city of Afrin is the heart of the Autonomous Administration."

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ANHA