Arab tribes, opposition Kurds and Assyrians have formed a political bloc against the YPG/PKK in northern Syria as they seek to strike a balance against the terrorist organization, local sources said Thursday.
While the U.S. and Western powers, including France, continue to support the terrorist YPG/PKK-ruled local administration in northern Syria, local elements, disturbed by the occupation and oppression of the terrorist group, are working to join forces.
The Kurdish National Council in Syria, Assyrians and the Arab Council in Euphrates and al-Jazeera, which operate in eastern Syria, have established a political bloc called the "Peace and Freedom Front."
The bloc aims to grow by incorporating organizations, groups, or elements that are not yet under the control of the YPG/PKK.
Prominent Syrian Arab tribes, including Agedat, recently demanded an end to the YPG/PKK occupation of their lands in the Deir el-Zour province.
The YPG/PKK, with U.S. support, established local councils in the areas it captured from Daesh, including Deir el-Zour, located east of the Euphrates River.
The U.S. has primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group. Turkey strongly opposes the YPG's presence in northern Syria, which has been a major sticking point in strained Turkey-U.S. relations. The U.S. has provided military training and thousands of truckloads of weapons to the YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns.
Local people in areas held by the YPG/PKK have long suffered from its atrocities, as the terrorist organization has a notorious record of human rights abuses, ranging from kidnappings, recruitment of child soldiers, torture, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in Syria.
The YPG/PKK has forced young people from areas under its control to join forces within the so-called "compulsory conscription in the duty of a self-defense law" since 2017. Under this practice, young people between the ages of 18 to 30 are forcefully recruited for nine months, with the possibility of an extension, if necessary. Those who refuse to join the YPG/PKK "face serious repercussions," including imprisonment.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
