AFRÎN - “Erdoğan is firing howitzer on us. He wants to shed blood. He is firing howitzer and bombing us using his warplanes. They are killing all people regardless their ages,” said Semira Ömer whose three children were wounded in the eyes during howitzer attacks on Berbenê village of Afrin’s Raco district. “We will continue to resist although my three daughters have been wounded,” said Semira.

 

The attacks of Turkey and Turkey-backed groups on Afrin have entered the 46th day. In the last two days, 18 civilians, including four children- one of them was three-month-old- were killed in the attacks on Jindires and Raco. Three sisters named Newroz (31) Nezife (19) and Aliye Ömer (11) are among wounded 18 citizens and they have been treated at Avrin Hospital. Newroz, Nezife and Aliye were wounded in their right eyes in the howitzer attack while travelling from Zerka village to Berbenê of Raco district and their 75-year-old grandmother Emine Mustafa was killed in the attack.

 

11-year-old Aliye Ömer has completely lost her right eye and the eyes of Newroz and Nezife have been destroyed. Their mother Semira Ömer stays in hospital with her daughters. She stated that they had resisted for 45 days and Turkey and Turkey-backed groups had targeted the civilians with random attacks.

 

‘We would die if YPG/YPJ didn’t warn us’

 

Semira talked about the attacks on Berbenê village and she said six people had been killed and other 18 people had been wounded in the attacks, “We headed for Berbenê as the attacks on our village increased. Then defense forces warned us and they told us, “don’t go”. They (Turkish army and Turkey-backed groups) began to fire howitzer while we were returning. All of us would die there if YPG/YPJ forces didn’t warn us.”

 

“They shoot us if we stay at home or we don’t leave our home,” Semira said, “Erdoğan is firing howitzer on us. He wants to shed blood. He is firing howitzer and bombing us using his warplanes. They are killing all people regardless their ages. But we will not leave our land. We will continue to resist although my three daughters have been wounded.”

 

‘What do they want from us?’

 

11-year-old Aliye has lost her right eye and she said they had faced the attacks while they were going to Berbenê village. “We didn’t understand anything. I don’t know what they want from us,” said Aliye. We asked Aliye what kinds of message she wants to give and she said, “Erdoğan pulled down our school. I want to return to the school.”