The PKK/YPG terrorist group has barred public gatherings in the areas it occupies in northeastern Syria ahead of the anniversary of Bashar Assad’s ouster.
The group, Anadolu Agency (AA) sources said, announced it would not allow any celebrations on Dec. 7-8, marking the Baath regime's overthrow, citing "security threats" as justification for the restrictions.
The PKK/YPG also said that all forms of public events, social activities and the use of fireworks are prohibited in the predominantly Arab regions under its occupation.
The YPG is the Syrian branch of the terrorist group PKK, which led a bloody terror campaign in Türkiye, parts of Iraq and Syria for over four decades, killing at least 40,000 people. Earlier this year, the terrorists announced they would lay down their arms and dissolve the organization as part of a “terror-free” initiative launched in Türkiye late last year. Ankara expects the YPG to follow suit and also fulfill a March agreement it struck with Damascus to integrate into the new Syrian army by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, thousands of people in Damascus, Daraa, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Idlib and Aleppo continue to celebrate the first anniversary of Assad's fall.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's new transitional administration was formed in January.
