The Foreign Relations Committee of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) released a statement warning that the escalated attacks against Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo point to a dangerous plan aimed at dragging Syria back into civil war.
The KCK statement on Thursday reads as follows:
“The outbreak of attacks in Aleppo, at a time when important discussions regarding the ‘Peace and Democratic Society’ process are taking place in Turkey, and while talks between representative delegations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the transitional government in Damascus are ongoing, is a serious situation. It is clear that the attacks by armed forces affiliated with the transitional government of Damascus on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo directly target the Kurds. These attacks are an attempt that also threatens the future of the Arab people in Aleppo and the peoples and communities in Syria. The genocidal attacks previously carried out against the Druze and Alawite communities are now being attempted again in Aleppo. These attacks point to a dangerous plan aimed at dragging Syria back into civil war.
The fact that these attacks in Aleppo are launched simultaneously with the ongoing talks in Damascus reveals the intentions of the interim government. Although the talks between the delegations on January 4 resulted in an approach to continue negotiations, the start of the war clearly reveals that a strategic plan is in motion. The launch of attacks on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh immediately after the talks between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Damascus interim government shows that Damascus is preparing for war. Forces opposed to the construction of a democratic Syria through negotiation and dialogue seek to dominate Syria and secure their hegemonic interests by provoking war. This is to be achieved at the expense of sacrificing the people.
The Turkish state’s relations with the Damascus government and certain armed groups on the ground are well known to the public. The Turkish state abandoning its policy of threats and provocation and adopting a constructive and solution-oriented approach would serve regional peace. The Turkish state could play a positive role in ensuring the implementation of the March 10 agreement, using its influence over armed groups. Adjusting its narrative and policy around a political solution would contribute positively to ending the war and creating a climate of peace.
For years, the Kurds of Aleppo have resisted, paying a heavy price, against the attacks of the fascist gangs and their mercenaries, primarily ISIS. They know how to defend themselves. Beyond protecting their own existence and resisting attacks, the Kurds have never posed a threat to either the interim government in Damascus or any other forces.
In Aleppo, the Kurdish and Arab peoples have a culture of intermingled co-existence. The attacks against the Kurds are aimed at forcibly displacing the people of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, purging Aleppo of Kurds, and provoking Arab-Kurdish conflict. That is why civilians, women, and children are being targeted in particular. All Syrian people, primarily Kurds and Arabs, will exercise their legitimate right to resist this tyranny in the most effective way possible. It is one’s patriotic duty to join this resistance and mobilize, based on national unity, with the spirit of Kobanê, across the four parts of Kurdistan and abroad. We believe that the Kurds in Aleppo will continue the tradition of resistance by defending their neighborhoods as the people defended themselves at the Tishreen Dam. We salute all our people and the democratic public who support the resistance of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, especially those resisting in Aleppo itself.
We call on Damascus to immediately stop the attacks, on the parties to agree to a ceasefire for a solution, to establish calm, and to return to the negotiating table. It is clear that all political forces continuing their efforts to implement the March 10 agreement will contribute to the interests of the Syrian people and the stability of Syria.
We also call on all international forces and public opinion, thirsting for peace and stability in Syria, to stand against this tyranny and play their part in resolving the issue through peaceful dialogue and achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible.”