Civilians who fled from Afrin, Syria, near Turkey’s southern border, controlled by the PYD/PKK terrorist group, eagerly desire to return to their homes, which is contingent on the clearing of the area from terrorists.
While Turkish military’s deployment to the region continues, refugees who had previously fled to Turkey from Afrin -- one of the biggest districts of Aleppo -- are closely watching the developments in the region.
Hasan Abu Ali, a Syrian Arab, who came to Turkey with his wife in 2013, told Anadolu Agency that he had been working as principal at a Syrian school in the Reyhanli district of Hatay, the southernmost Turkish town bordering Syria.
According to Ali, PYD/PKK terrorists intensified their oppression of the people in 2013: “First they tried to forcibly recruit young people. They killed some of those who resisted and wounded others."
He said his uncle had become permanently disabled and his aunt-in-law was killed during a PYD/PKK raid on their village.
His two cousins and one nephew were also taken by the group to fight with them, Ali told Anadolu Agency. “They threaten to kill their parents if they run away," he said.
Ali noted that they had always lived peacefully with the Kurds in the region, particularly stressing that the Kurds did not like the PKK.
“Kurdish people are trying to escape from the PYD/PKK, but they cannot, because they are afraid. We want the [Afrin] operation to be conducted,” he added.
Ali believes he and his family can return home once the area has been cleared of the terrorist group.
“We left our home, our garden there,” he said.
Another Arab Abdo Hamid told Anadolu Agency that he had come to Turkey with his six children three years ago after the escalation of the PYD/PKK pressure.
“The PYD/PKK forced us and our children to become their soldiers,” he said. “They would force us to fight against the Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army. We had to flee to Turkey,” he added.
Hamid is also hopeful for a Turkish operation to clean Afrin of all terrorist elements so they can finally return home.
Afrin has emerged as a hideout for the PYD/PKK since 2011, when anti-regime movements started in Syria, followed by the current civil war.
