For Immediate Release:
Early Monday morning, at 4:17am local time, during a winter storm, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Turkey. The epicenter was located at Kahramanmaras, approximately 20 miles west-north-west of Gaziantep and 65 miles north of Aleppo, Syria. A second major quake, measured at 7.5 on the Richter Scale, struck the region at 1:24pm, causing further destruction. Both quakes originated within 35 miles of the Kurdish region’s Diyarbakir (Amed), Sanliurfa (Urfa), Batman, Mardin, and other major Kurdish cities. At the time of this release, more than 2,300 people have been killed in these quakes and their numerous aftershocks, 5,000+ are injured, and thousands of buildings – both residential and commercial – have been heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Cold weather has significantly complicated relief efforts, and many trapped within rubble face death by exposure.
The high death toll presents serious issues of support within Turkey and Syria. Turkish control over the limited humanitarian corridor through which all aid must pass in northern Syria complicates and threatens aid to northern Syria (Rojava). The EU, UN, and the US have requested that Turkey and the Syrian Government expand limited border access, currently limited to a monitored crossing at Bab al-Hawa. Major cities within Syria have suffered from these quakes, including Afrin – a Kurdish area first occupied by Turkish forces in 2018 which suffered ethnic cleansing at the hands of Turkey and radical Syrian opposition forces. There are at least 250 deaths in Afrin as a result of yesterday’s earthquakes.
Given the discriminatory policies by both Turkey and Syria against the Kurdish population, we hope that this disaster can be addressed without consideration for demographic composition. The Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) calls on the US, UN, EU, and the international community to ensure that those most affected by the quakes receive the necessary aid, funds, and support. Dozens of countries, as well as regional bodies and international aid organizations such as the EU and UN have pledged resources and manpower to the relief effort. It is WKI’s position that the fastest method of effecting wide-scale relief in Rojava involves coordination between donors, US troops in Syria, and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to establish a direct route for aid to reach the victims. The United States routinely coordinates with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces in Hasakah and presumably has at least one airport or airstrip nearby where they could land large cargo planes to supply support materials in bulk to Northern Syria. To that end, US-SDF relief coordination represents a key component of any successful aid program in the AANES’ territory.
We extend our most profound condolences to all victims and their families, wishing speedy recovery for the wounded. The WKI will continue its efforts to provide the best response it can to help the people affected at this time.
Washington Kurdish Institute
February 6, 2023