We are under attack in Syria, and only the UN can stop our precious democratic project being ground into the dust

This week, the whole world stopped and watched as the Turkish army began to invade one of the foremost democratic movements of our time, the Autonomous Administration of northeast Syria.

Since the afternoon of 9 October, Turkey has been shelling towns and cities along the length of the Syria-Turkey border, including Qamishlo, Derik and villages surrounding Kobane. The Turkish army and its proxies – many of them jihadist forces – have crossed the border in an attempt to capture the cities of Sere Kaniye (Ras al Ain) and Tel Abyad (Gire Spi) and there is heavy fighting in the cities and surrounding villages.

Despite the heavy fighting, civilians are still holding demonstrations and gathering in the streets to protest the attacks, embodying one of the sayings of our movement: “resistance is life”.

The White House knew that its decision to pull out American troops would give the Turkish government a green light to invade, attacking the people who – at great cost – successfully resisted and defeated Isis. The Syrian Democratic Forces – made up of Kurds and Arabs as well as other local minorities – have been the most effective ground forces in the fight against Isis, and America's strongest ally in the region.

The courage and sacrifice of the SDF – which include the well known YPJ “women's defence units” – has caught the attention of millions of people around the world. Just as impressive is the society and political system that we are defending.

Northeast Syria is the site of the most important democratic project of this age. In sharp contrast to the authoritarianism, gender oppression and violence of Isis ideology, the people of northeast Syria have developed a political system based on grassroots democracy, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

The area governed by the civil administration and defended by the SDF encompasses a third of Syria and is home to 5 million people including Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmen, Armenians and Circassians. People from all of the ethnicities and religions of northeast Syria are joining together to resist the Turkish attacks, through protests, through media activism, and through exercising their right to legitimate self defence.

Turkish president Erdogan has been threatening to invade Syria for years as part of his war on the Kurdish freedom movement, which also has a presence in the Kurdish regions of Turkey and threatens the hegemony of his neo-fascist political party, the AKP.

Throughout the Syrian Civil War, the Turkish army allied with jihadist forces, particularly in the invasion and occupation of Afrin in early 2018. The region of Afrin is still being occupied by Turkish-backed jihadist forces such as Jaysh al-Islam, Ahrar-al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sharqiya and Sultan Murad Division, who are abducting, torturing and killing civilians, forcing women to cover their faces with a niqab when leaving the house, and destroying local natural resources such as olive groves and wheat fields.

The United Nations has reported that the jihadist forces on the ground who control the military, economic and governance systems are overseen and supported by Turkey.

This is what Turkey's so called “safe zone” in Syria would look like, and we must not accept it.

Many families in Syria experienced Turkey's massacres of the Kurdish people in the 19th century, where Turkish-backed groups attacked communities, destroyed places of worship, raped women and killed countless people. We will not let history repeat itself.

Defending northeast Syria from invasion by the Turkish army and its jihadist affiliates is not only about defending life and peace. It's also a choice about the kind of world we live in. In the Administration of northeast Syria, women are empowered and take leading positions in governance institutions, the military, and social initiatives.

Various ethnic groups live side by side and are all assured representation in the political system. Environmental sustainability is a big priority, and eco-cooperatives are being launched and supported by the Economy Ministry.

In contrast, the current Turkish government represents a system of repression, exploitation and authoritarianism. The Turkish army relies on the most extreme jihadist groups who subscribe to the same kind of thinking that lead to the Isis genocide of the Yezidi people in Sinjar, the extreme brutality of the caliphate and terrorist attacks around the world.

A Turkish invasion and occupation within the so called “safe zone” would destroy the democratic society of northeast Syria, and impose a violent fundamentalism on the region. The system here proposes a vision for a new democratic Syria: the alternative is Al Qaeda, Isis and Ahrar Al Sham.

A Turkish invasion would also undermine the ongoing war against Isis, which is still being led by the SDF. We continue to fight Isis cells across the region, as well as guarding the prisons that host the most dangerous inmates in the world.

Tens of thousands of adherents to Isis ideology are being guarded by the SDF, including over 14,000 foreigners who came here to join them. We cannot guard the prison and defend ourselves from a major power like Turkey at the same time. In al Hol camp, wives of Isis fighters have attacked the already stretched-thin security forces, attempting a mass breakout. Since the fighting started, Isis has staged attacks in Raqqa, Deir ez Zor and Sere Kaniye, and a sleeper cell attack was intercepted in Sere Kaniye.

The Turkish invasion is a clear violation of resolutions of the UN, as well as our shared sense of what is right. We call on the international community to stand with us in defending the people of northeast Syria. We call the UN to take action and send peacekeepers, or for the International Coalition to impose a no fly zone and send more troops. We call on the people of the world to take a stand on the right side of history and defend the people of northeast Syria.

Ilham Ahmed is a co-president of the Democratic Council of Syria.