Hundreds of thousands of Syrians staying in refugee camps in Iraq's Duhok and Irbil provinces cannot return to their homes due to the presence of the PKK terrorist organization's offshoot YPG in Syria.
There are about 20 refugee camps within the borders of the city of Duhok. Of these, Syrian refugees remain in the camps of Domiz 1 and 2, Bardarash, Gavilan and Acre.
Shivan Ali, from the Qamishli district of northeastern Syria and living in Duhok's Domiz camp for the past 11 years, is one of those who cannot return to his country because of the terrorist group.
Ali said they have lost hope of seeing their homes again.
"Life has become very difficult there. The conditions are very harsh. If there is public order in Syria and we are convinced that we are safe, we want to return," he lamented.
Another Syrian refugee, Iyad Hasan, noted that they could not return home due to the lack of stability, terrorist attacks, clashes and confusion.
"Syrian refugees in the region are afraid to return because of the PKK as it is forcibly arming young people in Syria and making them fight.
"That's why I don't want to go there as long as the facilities are available. I'll bring my parents here, and they'll live in the camp," he noted.
Mohammad Ali, another refugee, stressed that their situation was bad, adding: "International organizations have cut off aid. They used to bring food parcels before, now they don't give them either."
The YPG controls large parts of northern Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against Daesh despite its NATO ally Türkiye's major security concerns and warnings.
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 YPG has forced young people from areas under its control to join its forces within the so-called "compulsory conscription in the duty of self-defense."
Türkiye is determined to clear the last "terror nests" in Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday.
Erdoğan has recently said that Türkiye's plan for a new military operation in northern Syria will be on the table as long as the YPG continues to pose a security threat to his country.
In May, Erdoğan announced plans for a new military operation in Syria to drive away the YPG, an extension of the PKK terrorist group. The plans include resuming Turkish efforts to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone along the border with Syria and enabling the voluntary return of Syrian refugees from Türkiye.
Türkiye has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and already controls some territories in the north. Turkish-backed operations in previous years have ousted the YPG and Daesh terrorists from the northwestern enclave of Afrin and a series of border towns further east. Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
"A new operation will continue to be on our agenda as long as our national security concerns are not resolved," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan has said that since the United States and Russia have failed to live up to their commitments to provide a safe zone along the border region, Türkiye is ready to mount an operation to protect the nation and locals in northern Syria from the YPG. In October 2019, Russia committed to removing the terrorist group from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Türkiye during Operation Peace Spring. Moscow also promised that the terrorists would be pulled back 30 kilometers from the border on the M4 highway and in the area outside the Operation Peace Spring zone.