SDC Calls for Ending ‘Turkish Occupation’ in Northern Syria

A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
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SDC Calls for Ending ‘Turkish Occupation’ in Northern Syria

A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) urged the United Nations, US and Russia to end the “Turkish occupation" of cities and towns in northern Syria and help remove the intruders from the houses of original inhabitants.

The Council issued a statement marking the first year of the Turkish offensive into northern Syria, known as “Operation Peace Spring.”

The statement described the Turkish army as the “killing machine” which destroys Syrian cities and commits crimes against humanity. It urged the international community and human rights organizations to launch an independent investigation into the violations committed against civilians in Raqqa.

It also stated that a probe should be launched into the assassination of the secretary-general of Future Syria Party, Hevrin Khalaf, indicating that perpetrators should be tried before international courts and be held accountable for war crimes.

The Council stressed the need to secure the safe return of the forcibly displaced people to their areas.

Meanwhile, several Arab tribes and dignitaries held a meeting in Abu Hamam, in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, urging the US, the International Coalition and the Deir Ezzor Civil Council to release all innocent detainees held by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The meeting, chaired by Sheikh Nasser Osman al-Sabaat, appealed to the international community to support the health and education sectors, provide services and rebuild destroyed infrastructure. They warned that they’d resort to protests and sit-ins if their demands were not met.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) announced that two bombs exploded in the desert of al- Mayadin, in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, near a military checkpoint of al-Abbas Brigade, which is backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The bombs killed two of the Brigade members and injured seven others, bringing the death toll of Iranian militants in Syria since March of last year to 142, according to the Observatory.



Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
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Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)

A roadside bomb wounded four people in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk on Saturday, police sources said.
The bomb targeted a commercial district in the city center. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the week, four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others injured in an ambush on an army convoy southwest of Kirkuk, which ISIS militants claimed responsibility for.
Despite the group's defeat in 2017, remnants continue to conduct hit-and-run attacks against government forces.