Turkish aggression in Syria unacceptable

Turkey and all other foreign forces should immediately withdraw from Syria and seek a political solution and that’s the only best way forward, as the United Arab Emirates has suggested.

The UAE is also correct in stating that the minimum action incumbent upon Arab countries is the adoption of a firm response to aggression against any Arab country, which is seen as aggression against the national security of all Arab states.

Dr Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who headed the UAE delegation at the emergency meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo, has made it clear that the Turkish assault on northeast Syria represents flagrant aggression against the sovereignty of a fellow Arab country and exploitation of the conditions that country is currently facing in contravention of all relevant international laws and norms and in a bid to destabilise the region.

There is a huge concern about the negative impact of the offensive on the humanitarian situation in Syria, which will further aggravate the suffering of the Syrian people.

From the very beginning, this aggression has led to the killing of innocent people and will certainly result in a humanitarian crisis with thousands of innocent civilians fleeing for safety and security away from the killings.

The UN Security Council should heed the Arab League call to take the necessary measures to stop the Turkish aggression and (for) the withdrawal from Syrian territory immediately.

Turkey’s deadly assault on Kurdish positions has forced 130,000 people to flee their homes, as per the United Nations, and officials say that they are preparing for that figure to more than triple.

“We have moved into a planning scenario where up to 400,000 people could be displaced within and across the affected areas,” Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA told AFP in an email, adding that these people would be in need of assistance and protection.

The UN had stated on Friday that some 100,000 people had been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of Turkey’s military incursion on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump ordered American troops to pull back from the border.

Most of the displaced had reached relatives or host communities, but growing numbers were arriving at collective shelters, including in schools.

Concerns also remain grave around the risks facing thousands of vulnerable displaced persons, including women and children in various displacement camps.

The UN technical teams have not been able to access a water pumping station in Hassakeh town damaged from shelling, leaving 400,000 people, including 82,000 residents of displaced camps, affected by the suspension of water.

The situation of those caught in the fighting is worsened by lower temperatures across the region as colder weather is setting in.

After eight years of conflict, Syria already remains the largest refugee crisis in the world, with 5.6 million Syrians living as refugees in the region.

The Turkish incursion into Syria is certainly mired in suspicion regarding its stated objectives and will only lead to the strengthening of terrorists’ capabilities. Daesh may take advantage of the circumstances surrounding the Turkish assault.

As Dr Gargash accurately pointed out, the international community should shoulder its responsibility in taking a firm stance against this aggression by demanding a withdrawal of Turkish and other foreign forces from Syrian territory and focus instead on a political solution as the only way to end the Syrian crisis.