A Syrian member of the PKK terror group's affiliate the People's Protection Units (YPG), who was remanded in custody in northwestern Turkey, spoke about his experiences at the terror camps, a judicial source said Thursday.
The 26-year-old identified by his initials M.H., who had fled from the terror group, also spoke about the link between the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to PKK.
"There were banners and posters of one of the ringleaders of PKK Murat Karayılan and PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan at the camp that we stayed at. These were hung up everywhere in the YPG camps," he said during his testimony at the prosecution office.
The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD/PKK terrorist organization.
The former recruit was arrested in a house in western Edirne province during a counter-terror raid on Wednesday night. He was later remanded on charges of "being member of a terror organization," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restriction on speaking to the media.
"People from countries such as the U.S., Germany, and France joined the organization," he recalled.
"Those, who arrived [at the camps] from the U.S. were also wearing YPG uniforms and carrying Kalashnikov rifles. They did not stay there permanently and were transferred to different units," he added.
M.H. joined the PYD/PKK terrorist group after spending eight months with Assad regime forces. He said he received ideological and warfare training at a YPG camp in northeastern Qamishli province.
Operation Olive Branch was launched by Turkey on Jan. 20 to remove the PKK/PYD/YPG/KCK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin in northwestern Syria.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and in the region as well as to protect Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.
The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey's rights within international law, U.N. Security Council resolutions, its right to self-defense under the U.N. charter and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.
The military also said, "utmost importance" is being placed on not harming any civilians.
