Equipo Nizkor - UNSC S/2016/147 - List of Turkish violations and acts of aggression against the territory and sovereignty of Syria.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/147

Distr.: General
16 February 2016
English
Original: Arabic

Identical letters dated 14 February 2016 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, and further to our previous letters regarding Turkey's grave and repeated violations of the sovereignty and territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, I wish to inform you that, on 13 February 2016, the forces of the Turkish regime committed a series of bare-faced assaults on the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Beginning in the afternoon hours of 13 February 2016, Turkish heavy artillery positioned within Turkish territory bombarded Syrian territory, targeting the locations of Syrian Kurdish civilians and Syrian Arab Army positions. In an act of direct support for armed terrorist groups, Turkish heavy artillery bombarded the Syrian villages of Mar'anaz, Malikiyah, Minnagh, Ayn Daqnah and Bazibagh, all of which have civilian populations. That action was a response to the military victories of the Syrian Arab Army in the northern countryside of Aleppo governorate. Its purpose was to raise the flagging morale of the armed terrorist groups.

On the same day, 12 pick-up trucks mounted with DShK and 14.5 mm machine guns crossed the border crossing of Bab al-Salamah from Turkish territory into Syrian territory along with some 100 armed men, some of whom are believed to be Turkish forces and mercenaries. Ammunition and weapons continue to be channelled through the Bab al-Salamah crossing into the Syrian district of I'zaz.

Concomitantly with those acts of aggression, the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, openly acknowledged this bare-faced intervention in Syrian affairs. He stated that the Turkish regime would continue to provide various forms of support and funding to such terrorist groups as the so-called Nusrah Front, the Levant Front, Ahrar al-Sham and other terrorist organizations associated with Al-Qaida. Those statements amount to a formal, premeditated and emphatic admission that Turkey is violating the counter-terrorism resolutions of the Security Council. Annexed hereto are some examples of infringements of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic committed by the Turkish Government in 2015.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic wishes to draw the attention of the international community to the irresponsible conduct of the Turkish regime, which recently thwarted the Geneva Conference and is now endeavouring to ensure that any future Geneva conference is doomed from the outset.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns Turkey's repeated crimes and acts of aggression against the Syrian people and the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. Such actions are a bare-faced violation of Syrian sovereignty. They also flagrantly contravene the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the rules of international law and all of the counter-terrorism resolutions of the Security Council. The Syrian Government reiterates that it reserves its legitimate right to respond to Turkey's repeated crimes, violations and acts of aggression and to demand compensation for all of the resulting damages.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic once again emphasizes that the Security Council must fulfil its responsibility to maintain international peace and security and curb the Turkish regime's crimes against the Syrian people and its repeated violations of Syrian territory. The Syrian Government calls on the Security Council to prevail on the regimes of State sponsors of terrorism, including the Turkish regime, to enforce the Security Council resolutions on combating terrorism. The Council must also bring an end to those regimes' ties with armed terrorist groups including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Nusrah Front and other terrorist groups associated with Al-Qaida, and hold the regimes accountable for their untrammelled support for such groups.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex issued as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Bashar Ja'afari
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

Annex to the identical letters dated 14 February 2016 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

List of Turkish violations and acts of aggression against the territory and sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic

On 26 December 2015, armed and motorized Turkish forces infiltrated the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and attacked the villages of Latifiyah, Kharab Kishk and Tall Jahan in Hasakah governorate, all of which have civilian populations. They also attacked the residential neighbourhood of Hilal, in Qamishli city, and built cement walls.
On 25 December, armed and motorized Turkish forces infiltrated the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic near the villages of Bustan, Qalqiliyah and Tall Ziwan in Hasakah governorate. The hostile forces took up positions on Tall al-Bustan, where they installed barbed wire and barricades on Syrian territory. They deployed with guns and artillery and attacked Syrian civilians in the village.
On 22 December, Turkish forces took control of some 500 dunams of Syrian agricultural land in the area near the village of Hayr Jamus and the Hamdush farm in the Harim district of Aleppo governorate. Turkish military forces deployed over a distance of 25 kilometres between the districts of Harim and Salqin, at one end, and the districts of Darkush and Khan al-Jawz, at the other. The Turkish forces also transported advanced weapons and ammunition from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to armed terrorist groups -- specifically the so -called Ahrar al-Sham, Ansar al-Sham and Zanki battalions -- located in Aleppo governorate, the northern countryside of Ladhiqiyah governorate and the districts of Salqin and Harim in Idlib governorate.
On 19 December, the Turkish authorities installed fortifications and operations rooms equipped with advanced listening devices on Jabal al-Aqra', on Syrian territory. They also established an observation post with advanced monitoring devices on the citadel of Shalaf village in order to spy on the movements of the Syrian Army, the Syrian air force and its ally the Russian air force, and give detailed accounts of their movements to the armed terrorist groups.
On 27 November, Turkish military forces launched three mortar shells at the village of Bi'nin in Ladhiqiyah governorate, injuring several civilians.
On 26 November, armed and motorized Turkish forces infiltrated the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and attacked the villages of Aradah, Tall Diyab, Ibrahimiyah, Aziziyah and Asadiyah in the Ra's al-Ayn district of Hasakah governorate, terrorizing the inhabitants. The civilian Muhammad Ahmad al-Yasin of Asadiyah village was killed, and several other civilians sustained various injuries. The hostile Turkish forces carried out engineering and construction work. They built a cement wall 2 kilometres long and 6 metres tall on Syrian territory, in the area opposite Aradah village, and another wall 500 metres long.
On 29 January 2016, Turkish military forces opened machine gun fire in the direction of Syrian territory, targeting Syrian Arab Army forces at the positions of Syrtel, Jabal Atirah and Kanisah village. They killed two Syrian Army soldiers and injured others.
On 18 January, Turkish military forces fired three artillery shells at Syrian Arab Army forces around the Kassab area.

16Feb16

List of Turkish violations and acts of aggression against the territory of Syria

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