The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have ceased combat operations in Syria following the death of YPG officials, according to sources who spoke with American Military News. In recent months, Turkey has all but refocused their attacks from the Islamic State to the YPG, sending a series of air strikes to bomb frontline units as they work with coalition forces to combat ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Heval Zinar, an American fighting under the YPG’s banner, spoke with American Military News about the situation.
“I’m at the front line’s now, and everything is starting to become really confusing. One thing is for sure, all operations are canceled until the coalition makes Turkey answer for this.”
Salih Muslim, a political figure for the People’s Protection Units made a desperate appeal to the U.S. Government to take action against the Turkish airstrikes, saying, “Coalition forces must not remain silent against this.”
This highlights new issues faced by President Trump as he works to rally the coalition into capturing the Islamic States de facto capital in Raqqa.
The Turkish government has said that its goal was to attack the Kurdish PKK, which Turkey and many other coalition forces regard as a terrorist organization. However, even though the YPG and YPJ and Peshmerga have largely detracted from PKK leadership, they still feel as if they are being targeted by Turkish Aggression.
In a statement regarding the most recent airstrikes, the Turkish Army said that, “to destroy these terror hubs which threaten the security, unity and integrity of our country and our nation and as part of our rights based on international law, air strikes have been carried out … and terrorist targets have been struck with success.”
[revad2]
