ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish intelligence detained individuals accused of allegedly desecrating the Turkish flag and taking part in last week’s anti-Turkey protests in the rebel-held northwest Syria, and a conflict monitor said on Saturday that the individuals were forced to apologize to Turkey and the Turkish people.
Turkish state media Anadolu Agency reported on Friday that the country’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) detained a 17-year-old teenager, who allegedly tore down the Turkish flag in the northwestern al-Bab town.
The 17-year-old was recorded in front of a Turkish flag expressing his regret for his actions and kissing the flag.
“I attacked the Turkish flag. I regret it. I apologize to the Turkish people,” he says.
The UK-based conflict monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reported that the child was “admitting under pressure and intimidation,” and he was forced to apologize.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated throughout rebel-held north and northwest Syria in light of the recent attacks on Syrian homes and businesses in Turkey’s central Kayseri province, where a Syrian man was accused of sexually harassing a child.
People in the towns and cities of al-Bab, al-Rai, Azaz, and Afrin flooded the streets, blocked the roads, and attacked Turkish institutions in response.
Footage on social media showed demonstrators tearing up and stepping on a Turkish flag. Another video purportedly showed a Turkish soldier being forced to kiss the flag of the Syrian opposition. Another video showed men in uniform bringing down the Turkish flag.
At least seven protesters lost their lives during the clashes with the Turkish forces, according to SOHR.
Anadolu showed pictures of two Syrian individuals who also apologized to the Turkish people for alleged involvement in the protests.
“My brother and I were influenced by the events in Kayseri and made this mistake, but our intention was not to disparage the Turkish people. We share both religious and ethnic ties with the Turkish people. The Turkish people are hosting millions of Syrian refugees. The Turkish army has always been by our side. Once again, I apologize to the Turkish government,” one of them says.
SOHR also noted that since the start of the protests, Turkey has cut off internet connection and closed the borders to the rebel-held areas.
On Monday, the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition released a statement calling on protesters “to practice restraint” and “not attack Turkish institutions and checkpoints.
The recent escalations come amid efforts for rapprochement between Ankara and the Syrian government in Damascus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he might invite his Syrian counterpart to Ankara.
Through the conflict in Syria, Turkey has supported rebel forces, including those with links to al-Qaeda and other extremist groups. Turkey has also launched repeated incursions into Syrian territory, most notably against Kurds in Afrin in 2018.
Syrians rose against the Assad regime in March 2011, leading to a full-scale civil war that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and has left millions more in need of dire humanitarian assistance.
