The city of Raqqa, Syria, is being looted by militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorist group, the PKK terror organization's Syria affiliate, according to locals in Raqqa, which has been largely destroyed by U.S. airstrikes and clashes between Daesh and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is dominated by the YPG.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, local residents complained that YPG terrorists had looted their homes and shops before selling stolen items in the nearby Ayn Isa and Rasulayn districts, both of which are controlled by the terrorist group. They said that residents of the Sabahiye neighborhood were being prevented from returning to their homes by the terrorists after the U.S.-backed YPG launched a military campaign on June 6 to expel Daesh from Raqqa province.
Media footage has shown many buildings reduced to rubble, while a number of vehicles can be seen buried in debris. The roofs of numerous shops in the city have collapsed, while other shops in the area can be seen standing empty.
Prior to the offensive on Raqqa, Turkey warned the U.S. that partnering with YPG terrorists would further deepen the crisis, as Raqqa is known to be dominated by an Arab population, while the YPG is known to oppress other ethnic groups in the country, including Arabs and Turkmens, as well as Kurds that don't share the same political ideology as the YPG and its aim of changing demographics in the region. However, the U.S. picked the YPG as partners against Daesh, calling them the most effective force. In return, Ankara argued that local forces should be partnered with, as there is no difference between the YPG and the PKK, a group listed as a terror organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey. Last weekend, YPG terrorists raised a banner with a picture of the PKK's imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in Raqqa. The U.S. said Öcalan was not worthy of respect in a statement responding to the circulated video, however, YPG terrorists responded immediately after, saying Öcalan was the ideological force making the YPG what it is today.
According to Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), an activist network that monitors rights violations and war crimes in the city, the campaign against Daesh left some 2,000 civilians dead and more than 450,000 residents displaced. According to RBSS's estimates, some 90 percent of the city has been destroyed in recent fighting.
