Arab Tribes in North Syria Speak Out Against Turkish Security Zone Plan
Over 10,000 representatives of the Arab tribes living in the northern and northeastern regions of Syria spoke out against the presence of US troops, a possible Turkish military operation and the creation of a security zone on the border territory between Syria and Turkey, local media reported on Friday
Over 10,000 representatives of the Arab tribes and clans gathered on Friday in Athriya in the Aleppo province to show their support for the Syrian government and the Syrian army in their fight for the country's unity.
"The flag of Syria is the banner of the homeland, which symbolizes its sovereignty. We strongly oppose the creation of a so-called safe zone in the north of Syria ... The Syrian people are brought up on the concept of protecting the independence and sovereignty of their homeland and themselves by all possible means against any kind of aggression, including the occupation of the Syrian territory by the United States and Turkey," a statement by the clan leaders said, as quoted by the SANA news agency.
The leaders of the clans have agreed that the Syrian nation has the right to decide the country's political, economic, and social future through dialogue without foreign interference.
"We stand for the unity and independence of Syria and against any project or plan for the division [of the territory] under any excuse," the statement read.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Turkey intends to create a security zone in northeastern Syria.
In December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara was ready to launch a military operation against Kurdish fighters on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River as well as in Syria's Manbij, located near the Turkish border, if the United States did not remove the militia from there. He later said that he had decided to postpone the start of the military operation in Syria after a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on December 14, during which the US president also revealed his plans to withdraw troops from Syria.