Over the past week videos and images have emerged allegedly showing Turkish-backed militia forces summarily executing nine Kurdish civilians on the side of the road, including prominent female politician Hevrin Khalaf. These scenes are reminiscent of the violence of IS and though the aggressors have changed, the victims remain the same.

The justification offered for this violent and bloody offensive was the eradication of the threat of, well, me. My identity comprises in equal parts the threats articulated by Erdogan. I am one of 40 million Kurds and an advocate of Kurdish autonomy and self-rule: a sin so severe it is equated with terrorism and requires eradication by F-16 fighter jet bombs and missiles. I am the daughter of Kurds displaced by violence and persecution (a previous war for the previous generation). I, like many thousands of others, was born in a refugee camp: a part of my identity that Erdogan would see weaponised as a threat to Europe and the Western world.

The Syrian conflict has made refugees of millions. It is a fundamental human right to seek asylum from violence and persecution. Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Germany and Sweden have all done their part to assist with the Syrian refugee crisis. It is an act of mercy and humanity to provide shelter and security to those in need. This does not give Erdogan a moral licence to perform the inhumane by unilaterally invading Rojava. The establishment of the proposed "safe zone" Erdogan presented to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24 will be at the cost of violently displacing the inhabitants of Rojava, resulting in a new wave of refugees and the destabilisation of one of the last safe pockets of Syria. Rojava has provided a democratic, liberal and feminist safe haven for Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Christians, Muslims, Yezidis and other minorities from the excesses of the sectarian violence in Syria. This is what Hervin stood for. This is what we stand to lose.

Turkey's military campaign against the Kurds in northern Syria has already sparked a new refugee crisis. Credit:AP

The Kurds have a history of being the staunchest allies of the West. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with coalition forces in Iraq and Syria fighting against IS and for democracy and freedom. It is true that the Middle East is riddled with conflicts over arbitrarily drawn lines. The curse of the Kurds is that their lines were never drawn.