As Turkish troops amass on the border, preparing to invade northeast Syria, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are threatening sanctions unless they agree to a “sustained ceasefire.” This comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s failed diplomatic efforts during a recent trip to Turkey. Even during the operation to overthrow the Assad regime, Turkey’s intent was also to destroy the multiethnic, multireligious democracy in northeast Syria. 

After the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army joined Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in capturing Aleppo, they split, with HTS continuing to depose former President Bashar Assad while most SNA forces turned their focus northward to capture the Shehba region, part of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria under Syrian Democratic Forces protection. SNA also captured Manbij before the United States negotiated a ceasefire. HTS, meanwhile, assured Christians, Kurds, and other minorities of their safety during operations. In contrast, reports indicate the SNA targeted ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Syrians displaced from Afrin by Turkey’s 2018 invasion.