The Syriac Military Council (SMC) has issued a statement on Friday calling for a no-fly zone over northern Syria in order to "stop the Ottoman Turkish" invasion.

"We appeal to world leaders and to Christians throughout the to support us as Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian Christians living in Syria's North East region: as indigenous people of the Middle East," the statement began.

"We urgently need protection from Turkey's threats to invade and 'cleanse' our territory from Christianity, religious freedom, and democracy," they continued.

The Syriac Military Council then addressed U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal announcement, which they claim leaves them susceptible to a Turkish military invasion.

"US President Donald Trump's sudden decision to withdraw US troops leaves us powerless and open to being destroyed by either Turkey or other regimes scrambling to see our demise in the vacuum this will create," the SMC said.

"Turkey is threatening us daily in the local media to invade and kill us," the statement continued, pointing out that the Turkish-backed rebels are calling them 'infidels' on social media.

In reference to the Turkish military's past operation in Afrin, the SMC said that "when Turkey was allowed to enter Afrin by the West, Turkey committed war crimes and ethnic cleansing against the religious minorities."

"All the Christians had to flee the area as Turkey's jihadi troops conducted door-to-door searches to hunt the Christians down to kill them and destroy all of Afrin's churches," they stated.

The SMC would conclude by calling for a no-fly zone over northern Syria in order to prevent a Turkish invasion.

"It is urgent to establish, as soon as possible, a no-fly zone for North East Syri to protect us against Turkey," they said, adding "Turkish air power overwhelmed the defenders of Afrin and even our brave Syrian Democratic Forces cannot against the powerful NATO army. It is urgent to stop the invasion and occupation of Syria."

The SMC is a militia that is based in Syria's Al-Hasakah Governorate; they are loyal to the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units (YPG).