In the light of the offensive on northwest Syria launched by Assad regime and its allies and considering the great human suffering of people there, the Syrian British Council (SBC) reiterated its clear call on the UK and its allies for the need to intervene to provide protection for civilians there.
The situation on the ground is deteriorating. Assad regime backed by the Russian forces continues to adopt the same brutal tactics causing millions to suffer. Since the first of January this year, 300 civilians have been killed in Idlib and Aleppo and nearly 900,000 people have been displaced fleeing Assad and Russian bombardment. It was confirmed by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that 93% of the deaths have been caused by Assad regime and its allies.
Over the course of this week, the Turkish military operation has resulted in stopping the advance of Assad regime and its allies. This, in turn, has given hope to many of the innocent civilians, fleeing for their lives from the regime’s onslaught on Idlib, that their suffering may come to an end by returning to their homes.
In this context, SBC perceives this Turkish operation in northwest Syria as a necessary intervention to protect civilians in the region. SBC has repeatedly pressed for introducing a no-fly zone to prevent helicopters from dropping barrel bombs; and we see the Turkish intervention as a feasible mechanism to enforce a de-escalation zone in northwest Syria. Hence, SBC repeats an urgent request for the British Government to play an active role in the humanitarian space by supporting Turkey’s efforts in northwest Syria. The aim should be to achieve a balance of power in the region in a step to pave the way to reinvigorate the political solution based on the Geneva understandings and the relevant Security Council resolutions. SBC hopes that these actions accelerate this path in order to seek stability in the region and avoid the scourges of another war.
