The PKK-linked People's Protection Units (YPG)-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has launched a new political party, removing visible signs of the PKK, based on the recommendation of the U.S.-backed coalition, reports said Tuesday.
The "Future Syria Party" was reportedly established and announced in a conference held in Raqqa, with no symbols or pictures of the PKK terrorist group or its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Reports noted that the coalition advised the SDF, which is dominated by the PKK-linked YPG to rebrand itself, leave its visible links to the terrorist group and replace federalism with decentralization to increase its appeal.
In October 2015, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the YPG's political branch, brought in small groups of Arab fighters to form the SDF, promising to share weapons and logistics offered by the United States.
Turkey insisted that the group was the same thing with the PKK and the YPG, using a different name only to mislead people. Now, with the foundation of a new political party, the same misleading policy is in action again, to cover the terrorist activities of the PKK and its Syrian wings.
In December, Talal Silo, who is the former brigadier general in the SDF, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the SDF was actually founded as a cover for U.S. arms aid to the YPG, adding that the United States did not monitor the provided weapons. Silo confirmed that the name change was initiated by U.S. General Raymond Thomas, underlining that the group was actually under the full control of the YPG.
"SDF's foundation was only theater. The U.S. gave the leadership to the Kurds and the PKK," Silo said.
Turkey has long protested U.S. support for the PKK/YPG terror group, while Washington has brushed off these criticisms, saying it needs the terror group's help to fight against Daesh in Syria.
The PKK/YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.
The PKK has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, leading to the deaths of more than 40,000 security forces and civilians -- including more than 1,200 since July 2015.
The People's Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey, which also initially tried to distance itself from the PKK, came under fire as many of its lawmakers, including chairpersons, defended the terrorists and attended their funeral ceremonies. HDP-linked municipalities had also provided support to the terrorists.