Two Aleppo University students were among the four civilians killed in northern Syria's Azaz in the Feb. 15 missile attack launched by the U.S.-backed Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization, the YPG. Ekrem Hasan and Saad el Hacci, classmates in the engineering faculty, died in the attack perpetrated in the town center just hours after finishing their midterm exams.
The YPG/PKK terrorist organization, which has recently increased its attacks on civilians in Syria, is trying to disrupt the atmosphere of peace and security established in the country's safe areas.
The news of the 24-year-old students' deaths caused grief at the university. Mourning the passing of their friends, students and faculty members condemned the terrorist organization.
Anadolu Agency (AA) reporters spoke with university students who were in tears as they buried their peers.
Ahmed Masri, who immigrated from northwestern Idlib to Azaz due to the attacks by the Bashar Assad regime and its supporters, said he continues his studies while working at the same time.
"At the time of the attack, we did not understand what was happening. At first, we thought it was a bomb. Then I learned that there was a missile attack, I wanted to go back to the workplace and warn people to stay inside. Suddenly, one of the missiles hit near the shop. Our windows were broken. Then two of my university friends were martyred in front of the health center. The doctor's wounds were also severe," said Masri, who escaped the attack relatively unhurt.
Stressing that he wants to continue his studies unthreatened, he said: "We want justice and retaliation. We have already fled the terrorist Assad regime. Here we are resisting terrorist groups like the YPG/PKK."
Maan Enes el-Hamo, another student from Aleppo University who is studying mechanical engineering, expressed what it felt like to lose his friends.
"We have very good memories with our friends. The YPG/PKK also killed our smiles and good memories" said el-Hamo to the AA reporter. Still under the shock of their friend's death, "First we could not believe that they were dead. We were together in the same auditorium a few days ago. We are deeply affected by the news. I hope they shall be considered martyrs in the presence of Allah," he added.
Expressing his grief, university lecturer Imad Kenan highlighted that higher education institutions in liberated areas are particularly targeted by the terrorist group.
"Our friends had finished their exams, they were really happy. A few hours later, 'death missiles' separated our friends from us," he added.
Kenan underlined that the YPG/PKK should be held accountable for the attacks.
"The rights of these young people are needed to be sought. The crime is obvious. We demand justice. These traitors who target civilians are remorseless and profane," he underlined.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terrorism corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
Local people living in areas held by the YPG 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 U.S. has primarily partnered with the YPG in northern 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 Ankara-Washington relations. The U.S. has provided military training and thousands of truckloads of weaponry to the YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns.