Ras al-Ain, a city in northern Syria, has witnessed over the last few days an ongoing clash between factions of anti-regime brigades and local civic armed groups (mainly Kurdish).
There is no justification or excuse for the anti-regime brigades to enter the area of Ras al-Ain given the absence of any regime military targets in this area that is populated solely with Syrian civilians. The on-going clashes between the these brigades and armed local Kurdish groups is clear evidence that their target is not confront the regime but to control any area that they can, even against the will of its inhabitants. The majority of the inhabitants of Ras al-Ain; Kurds and Arabs both Muslims and Christians, have left their houses more than two months ago when these brigades first entered their area. This resulted in cruel aerial bombardment from the regime leaving large number of civilians dead. Although some of those who were forced to leave started to retune to the area, many of them were unable to do that yet.
Lots of questions should be raised over the aim of these brigades. How was it that they always entered the area with artillery and equipment from Turkish lands, at a time when Turkish authorities are preventing the refugees from Ras al-Ain from crossing its borders?
What is happening in the area of Ras al-Ain is a result of the security chaos created by the Syrian regime with its reliance on using violence to respond even to nonviolent protesters and opponents. This has led to the spread of arms and the escalation of armed conflict. This in turn is contributing to the spread of civil fights that is threatening many areas in the country among which Ras al-Ain.
This fight serves the interests of those international and regional actors pushing towards dividing Syria and not the best interests of the Syrian people. Therefore we ask the brigades that entered Ras al-Ain area to withdraw from the area immediately. We ask the international community to pressure the Turkish authorities to end its policy of allowing fighters, particularly non-Syrian ones, from entering Syria through its borders.
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