Citizens demand Turkey’s exit as prerequisite for broader foreign force withdrawal

Following the collapse of Syria’s Ba’athist regime late last year, demands for the withdrawal of foreign militaries and mercenary forces have intensified. However, such appeals have conspicuously omitted reference to the Turkish occupation, which continues to occupy vast Syrian territories and launch recurrent assaults on the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). 

 In this context, ANHA agency surveyed citizens in Hasaka regarding Turkey’s ongoing occupation amid broader calls for the expulsion of all foreign troops. 

 The citizen Hamad Ashraf Ali emphasized that the Syrian crisis has been exacerbated by extensive foreign intervention, spearheaded by the occupying Turkish state. He noted that Ankara has seized Syrian territories—including Afrin, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), and Tal Abyad—while perpetuating severe human rights violations through its patronage of mercenary factions operating under various designations. 

 “The Turkish occupation regime attempts to legitimize its presence in Syria, but we Syrians unequivocally recognize it as an occupying force,” Ali stated. “The resolution to Syria’s crisis must be exclusively Syrian, devoid of external meddling.” He further urged the United Nations to enforce the withdrawal of Turkish occupation forces and empower Syrians to independently shape their future, free from foreign hegemony. 

 The citizen Fayyad Al-Hassani categorically rejected all foreign military presence in Syria, declaring, “We Syrians understand our own interests and resolutely oppose all occupation, particularly that of Turkey.” He highlighted that Ankara has expanded its aggression beyond occupied regions, persistently attacking northern and eastern Syria. 

 “Those demanding the expulsion of foreign troops must first unequivocally call for Turkey’s withdrawal,” Al-Hassani asserted. “Its occupation poses the greatest danger to Syrian territorial integrity.” 

 The citizen Osama Ali delineated a critical distinction between the internationally sanctioned military presence of certain global powers and Turkey’s unlawful occupation. “Some foreign forces operate under international legitimacy, whereas Turkey engages in direct occupation driven by territorial expansionism,” he explained. 

 “The Turkish state played a central role in inflaming the Syrian crisis, fueling divisions among Syria’s societal components, even as its regime hypocritically claims to defend Syrians,” Ali added. He concluded by stressing the necessity of Turkey’s immediate withdrawal, reiterating that any sustainable resolution must be exclusively Syrian-led, as external interference will only exacerbate fragmentation. 

a.k

ANHA