Ömer Koparan,Eşref Musa
13 August 2022•Update: 14 August 2022
ANKARA
Political and military leaders of the Syrian opposition on Saturday expressed solidarity with Türkiye over the heinous treatment of a Turkish flag in northern Syria earlier this week.
“The Turkish flag, like the flag of the Syrian revolution, is a symbol of pride, a title of victory, the emblem of a great people, and its place is above the heads of the heroes and the bodies of the martyrs. Those who cross limits will be held accountable,” the Syrian National Army (SNA) said in a statement.
In a tweet, SNA commander Seyf Ebubekir said the reprehensible act was carried out by YPG/PKK terrorists.
“The Turkish flag is sacred. Those who lay hands on it will be punished,” he said.
Abu Amsha, another SNA commander, said the Turkish flag “is sacred …. for all Muslims in the Islamic world.”
The Syrian Interim Government’s Defense Ministry said the Turkish flag is “a sacred symbol for the Turkish people and army, whose blood has been shed on our land.”
“Therefore, we must respect this sacred symbol … that was attacked by some prejudiced and ignorant people who do not represent the values of the revolution,” it said in a statement.
A separate Syrian Interim Government statement hailed Türkiye’s support for the Syrian opposition.
The struggle will continue until the Bashar al-Assad regime is overthrown and the Syrian people achieve their goals of freedom and dignity, the statement said.
The National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, an umbrella group of Syria’s political opposition, also condemned the incident.
“We do not approve of … the burning of the flag of a brotherly country, whose blood is mixed with our blood in the fight against terrorism and which protects approximately 4 million,” the group said in a statement.
Leading figures of various Syrian tribes also expressed solidarity with Türkiye.
At a gathering in Syria’s northern Afrin district, they vowed that no one could break their bond with their Turkish brothers and sisters, adding that they would defeat all such hostile agendas.
