The PKK terrorist organization's Syrian affiliate Democratic Union Party (PYD) expelled 4,000 Iraqi refugees who were taking shelter in the al-Hawl refugee camp in al-Hasakah province of eastern Syria toward Daesh-held areas of the country.
Ali al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi Independent Higher Human Rights Commission, said PYD terrorists who control the camp sent the Iraqi refugees to areas only a few kilometers away from where the Daesh terrorist organization is located.
The PYD is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, a militant group recognized as a terrorist group by the U.S., the EU, Turkey and many other countries. Recognized by the U.S. as an ally in the fight against Daesh, the PYD's People's Protection Units (YPG) milita operates under the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Explaining that the incident took place as a result of a political attitude that emerged following the crisis between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Bayati said there could not be any official intervention by Iraqi authorities since the camp is located in an area outside of the Syrian regime's control.
The KRG held an independence referendum deemed illegal on Sept. 25, despite many warnings from Ankara at the cost of Irbil and the region. Baghdad, Ankara, Tehran, Washington and the U.N. all spoke out against the referendum, saying it would only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region. Eventually, on Nov. 1, KRG President Masoud Barzani stepped down amid growing fears of greater disorder in the region. According to Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration, around 4 million Iraqis were internally displaced and thousands more were forced to flee to neighboring countries due to violence in the country. This is not the first time the PYD or YPG has attacked civilians in Syria. Last week, the YPG shot civilians peacefully protesting the group's unlawful restrictions for those returning home, showing it is no different to Daesh.
Similarly, in July, four civilians were killed and 20 others were injured in an overnight attack by the YPG in Marea. Earlier in June, a video showing YPG terrorists torturing civilians in Raqqa was obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA). The footage showed images of two terrorists beating up tied-up civilians in Mansura in western Raqqa.
It was also reported that U.S. forces recently intervened as YPG militants plundered civilian homes in Raqqa. A confrontation occurred between locals and some members of the terrorist group due to their unlawful practices.
