The northern Syrian regions Turkey has declared its intention to target in a military operation have some 27 centres and camps holding captured Islamic State (ISIS) fighters and their families, and thus any such attack would increase risk to global security as well as endangering regional security, said a joint petition addressed to international bodies by 250 European and Syrian signatories.

Calling on the European Commission, European Parliament and the United Nations, the signatories said that Turkey’s growing threats should be ended and any possible invasion should be prevented.

A Turkish invasion in northern Syria would lead to catastrophe, human tragedy and ethnic cleansing, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) said.

The impact of such an act could undermine efforts to combat ISIS to date, they added, and bring about a new wave of refugees.

International bodies should exert diplomatic pressure on Turkey to stop its escalation and force it to respect the ceasefire agreements signed with Russia and the United States in October 2019, and resolve outstanding issues through dialogue, the SDC said.

The signatories called for an international committee under UN supervision to monitor military movements on the Syrian and Turkish borders and prevent clashes between the two parties.

Earlier, 34 political parties in northeast Syria also called on Russia and the Global Coalition against ISIS to impose a no-fly zone on the region, to prevent a new invasion by Turkey that would cause harm to the lives of millions of residents.

Meanwhile, 41 legal, social and women’s organisations in Syria wrote a letter on Tuesday and called on UN Secretary General António Guterres to stop the crimes against humanity that Turkey has committed in Afrin, Girê Spi [Tell Abyad] and Serêkaniyê [Ras al-Ayn].