A number of Syrian opposition armed factions issued a joint statement denouncing the “ethnic and sectarian cleansing campaign carried out by the Kurdish People Protection Units of the Democratic Union Party against the Sunnis, Turkmens and Arabs in the countryside of Hassakeh and Tal Abyad, forcing them to flee their villages".
The statement stressed "the unity of Syrian land is a red line, and the entire Syrian people will stand against any division project. Arabs and Kurds are united under the banner of Islam, homeland and future, and Kurds are part of the revolution and the society". The statement futher called on all "patriot Kurds to support the revolution and its principles".
The statement also condemned the "international community's silence and involvement in a new conspiracy against the Syrian people, as they did not object to or denounce the crimes of Kurdish People Protection Units which violated the terms of the International Criminal Court Charter and Fourth Geneva Convention concerning the protection of civilians".
The statement emphasized that “revolutionary factions will not ignore the manipulation of Syria's demography, and the ethnic and sectarian cleansing suffered by Sunni Arabs in Syria, and that these revolutionary factions would respond firmly to all those involved in this criminal act".
The joint statement was signed by a number of rebel groups, namely: ash-Sham Corps, Ahrar al-Sham, the Army of Islam, al-Mujahideen Army, Hazm Storm Brigade, the Islamic Union of Ajnad ash-Sham, Sham Rebels Brigades, ar-Rahman Corps, the Sunni Army, Homs Corps, the Martyrs of Islam Brigade, as-Safwah Islamic Battalions, Istaqem Kama Umert Rally, and al-Jabha ash-Shamiyah.
Syrian dissident Sihanouk Dibo criticized the statement, saying those factions "did not react when ISIS occupied 100,000 kilometers of Syrian territory".
Dibo called on the Syrian National Coalition to: "face such statements and specify its position, as the consequences of what these factions are up to will contribute to the division of Syria and convert it into a permanent conflict zone".
The case is the focus of much debate in opposition circles, especially in the last coalition meeting, where a source revealed a serious debate took place on allegations of ethnic cleansing in the northern areas.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
