Syriac-Assyrian Christians in Syria warn: we will defend ourselves against a Turkish invasion

We, Syriac-Assyrian Christians in northern Syria, have since 2013 created a common Democratic Self-Administration together with our Kurdish and Arab neighbours. By now the Self-Administration is a home for millions. Syriac Christians, Arabs, Kurds, Yazidi’s Turkmen and others live and work together.

Our own Syriac Military Council is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces together with the YPG, Sanadid forces and others. The SDF has been the most successful force against ISIS. This has been demonstrated yesterday by taking Shaddadeh from ISIS.
The YPG has clearly declared that it was not involved in the Ankara bombing and has repeatedly stated that it wants a normal relation with Turkey. Now the TAK has declared to be responsible for the Ankara bombing. The TAK is not connected to the SDF and we reject its action. Turkey is only looking for a reason to go to war against the Syrian Kurds and our Democratic Self-Administration regardless the facts.
A war of Turkey against the Democratic Self-Administration is a war against millions of people. Syriac Christians, Arabs and Kurds will be victims of that war. Such a war would rob Syria of the last hope for a stable future and would be a victory for ISIS. ISIS would have no effective enemy anymore in Syria. Such a situation will lead to millions of new refugees.
We as Syriac Christians are the survivors of the Sayfo ( genocide) by the Ottoman Empire. This time we have the means to defend ourselves and we will do so.

We will fight to our last bullet to defend ourselves and the Self-Administration.

A war against the Democratic Self-Administration will be a war by Turkey against the Syriac Christians in Syria. It will be a repeat of the genocide against our people. Turkey showed yesterday that it wants to continue attacking our people by attacking and looting the Christian town Hazakh (Idil) in South-East Turkey.

We urge NATO and all its Members not to allow Turkey to create a new bloodbath against the millions living in the Democratic Self-Administration. We urge the UN, EU, US and others to use every pressure available to end this threat.

Our new democracy with equality of men and women, freedom of religion and co- operation between peoples is the solution for Syria and the Middle East. We ask the world not to allow this opportunity to be squandered and to be lost. We hope to bring hope and we ask the world to stand with us.

These are some of the Syriac Christian men and women that are defending the Democratic Self-Administration. The men of the Syriac Military Council and the women of HSNB