Thousands of Kurdish residents of Afrin, located in northern Syria’s Aleppo province, marched through the streets of the city on July 5 calling for an end to Turkish military operations in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Local Kurdish groups have been calling for the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from the region for months. However, the wounding of four civilians by Turkish artillery shelling on July 3 has sparked a renewed protest. Various civil society groups, local militias, and political parties all participated in the demonstration.

Many in the crowd held signs showing jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, while others heavily criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Credit: YouTube/ANHA via Storyful