The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorist organizations which are occupying Turkmen neighborhoods have increased attacks. The PKK/PYD have changed the local names of the neighborhoods and unfurled their flags and photographs of their ringleader in the neighborhood squares.
Commander Mahmut Süleyman of the Sultan al-Fatih Brigade, a Turkish Armed Forces (TAF)-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) member, said the tension in the region was rising.
PKK/PYD troubling Turkmens
The Haydariye, Holluk, Bostanpasha and Sheikh Hidir neighborhoods in Aleppo’s center and the Maarata, Kefer Naha, Meryemiyn, Culbul and Marenez neighborhoods on the Afrin-Azaz line are still under PKK/PYD occupation.
The terrorist organizations arrested 700 young Turkmens and Arabs in the past month with the excuse of military service. Many Turkmen houses have been turned into headquarters of the PKK/PYD. The terrorist group remanded over 40 civilians on the pretext of carrying out spying activities for Turkey in the past year.
Operation to end PKK/PYD
Commander Süleyman said the biggest threat to the people of Syria and Turkey was the U.S.-backed PKK. He added that a military force of 15,000 people were ready for the Afrin operation and were awaiting orders from Turkey.
The opposition commander said that many districts, especially Manbij, Tel Abayd and Suluk, would rise against the PKK in support of Turkey’s Afrin operation. The possible Afrin operation would be the beginning of the end for the U.S.-backed PKK.
A former spokesperson and defector from the Syrian SDF, a group dominated by the terrorist PKK/PYD, spoke to Anadolu Agency on Friday.Talal Sillo, a former high-ranking commander and spokesperson of the U.S.-backed force who defected from the terrorist group last month, is currently in Turkey.Sillo divulged details of the U.S. arming terrorist groups in the region and what some U.S. officials thought about the PKK/PYD's presence in northern Syria.Over Turkey’s objections, the U.S. has provided the PKK/PYD with arms, calling it an ally in the fight against Daesh, but ignoring its terrorist group status.He also explained how the PKK-terrorist dominated force was formed and how the U.S. made a controversial deal to allow Daesh terrorists to leave the city of Raqqah before it was liberated.FSA commander says 15,000 troops ready for Turkey's Afrin operationHow did your relations with the PKK begin?At first, an invitation was issued from Afrin (YPG) to my group, the Seljuk Brigade. It was recommended that I joined the Revolutionary Army. I reached an agreement with those in Afrin and joined. Ahmet Hadro was the PKK member in charge in Afrin. They were preparing the establishment of the Revolutionary Army. Abu Ali Berad was in charge of the Arabs and Selah Chebbo was in charge of the Kurds. I was in charge of the Turkmens. I went to Afrin at the beginning of August 2015. I worked as part of the Revolutionary Army administration. However we weren’t the ones in charge, it was the PKK’s Hadro. Then they told me I was to join the SDF. We held the first meeting with PKK regional chief Şahin Cilo. Our meeting with the SDF was on Oct. 15. However Şahin Cilo (who announced the establishment of the SDF) wanted us to write Oct. 10 2015 as the meeting date. When we asked why, he said the U.S. had dispatched weapons to the YPG in al-Hasakah between Oct. 10 and 15. They did this so the U.S. could justify the situation and say the weapons went to the SDF not the YPG. That’s how the SDF was formed.Special Forces Commander Gen. Raymond Thomas said the U.S. was "making a brilliant move" and changing the YPG name to the SDF to gain credibility. Hasn’t the SDF’s own identity been formed yet?It's just a name. It's nothing else. We get everything including our salary from the YPG. The main reason for the establishment of the SDF is the U.S. The U.S. administration wanted to give the Kurds weapons. The SDF is only theater. It's referring to the union of the components, but there’s nothing like that. The U.S. leadership gave it to Kurds and PKK. They were talking about the struggle against terrorism, but we have seen that the U.S. administration and Şahin Cilo made an agreement to evacuate Daesh terrorists. They wanted to influence the citizens living in that region through the SDF. They painted the SDF as a liberating force fighting against terrorism. But because of them, houses were destroyed and the people were exiled.Pentagon’s YPG support to be discussed at Turkey’s NSC meetingThe U.S. at one point alleged that it was giving weapons to Arabs, not the YPG. Is this true?At first, we were just signing the documents (Americans gave us) to show we received the weapons. But all the weapons were going from the PKK leaders to someone called Safkan. Safkan took the weapons to a place only he knew. This is how it continued. For example, in the Afrin operation, all weapons were delivered to Arab national Abu Amcad, but only on paper. They did this knowingly. It was all theater. Abu Amcad said he was receiving very minimal weapons, and that his duty and authority was only to sign.Why did the U.S. opt for this method?All ideas were being put forward by Brett McGurk. During the Raqqa operation, McGurk requested the establishment of a force called the Arab Coalition. The task of the Arab Coalition was only to take the weapons. As a matter of fact, weapons were taken in huge quantities. But only light weapons were distributed to the Arabs, Turkmen and Syrians. The name of the coalition was Arab, but none of the Arabs had anything. The Deir ez-Zor military council is also just signing. The U.S. knew about this. All these games were made so that it was not revealed that the weapons were delivered to the PKK. But we were convinced that these advanced weapons go to PKK and YPG.Does the U.S. monitor where the weapons go and who they are used against?The Americans did not care where the guns were going. They did not ask us even once what we were doing with the weapons or where we were using them. They would say there would be no more (YPG) weapons, and then start a new delivery. The U.S. already knows that Arabs, Turkmens and Syrians are not a part of this equation. There was limited support during the Obama period. Trump changed shape after he got in. During the Obama era, both used and unused weapons were coming. When Trump came, armored vehicles started to arrive.Video: US evacuates Daesh terrorists from Syria's RaqqaŞahin Cilo, codenamed Şahin Ferhad Abdi, is on Turkey’s wanted list. How involved is Cilo, who posed alongside U.S. officials?We would form a request list (for the weapons). This was presented by Şahin Cilo. The weapons were not mentioned in the press. The types of weapons given were to be kept secret.Who heads the SDF?The U.S. is actually managing it. Even though there are elections, it’s all theater. Everyone knows Şahin Çilo. He’s in charge, and his assistant was Kahraman, who was a PKK administrator. I was the third in charge. There are PKK teams at each control point. There is always a PKK leader across courts, civilian assemblies, health centers and everything else.Where in the SDF is the PKK’s Qandil team?Cilo is in charge but there is someone who outranks him. This person is Bahoz Erdal. Bahoz receives instructions from Qandil, so Sabri Kök. When Erdal was appointed to Qandil, Nureddin Sofi came. They give instructions to Cilo. Cilo and his (assistant) Kahraman are only in the leading team. There are many offices but there are no new names due to disputes. Ahmet Hudro, Mahmut Berhudan and Nocin (for women) are the PKK and YPG administrators in Afrin. The entire region is managed by Halil Tefdem. Bahoz Erdal gives him orders. Ismail Direk, one of the PKK leaders, heads Manbij but the military officer is Cemil Mazlum. Raqqa's military and civilian administrator Hasan was brought from Europe. Polat Can, a top PKK official, is in charge of Deir ez-Zor. I once received an invitation to meet with Murat Karayılan from Qandil due to my relationship with Bahoz. It was cancelled in case our photographs were published in the press. Nureddin Sofi went there while Karayılan was delivering a statement. Then he came back. They go back and forth secretly. The PKK used Salih Müslim’s role in the media successfully. In reality, he had no role. During the self-governing provincial administration, they placed Müslim as seventh but he had no role in this project.Pentagon says will continue arming PKK/YPGHow many armed men were under the SDF?Although there is no exact data, there are 50,000 militants. Both male and female, and 70 percent of them are YPG members. There were 65 Turkmens under my leadership. The Assyrian Military Assembly had only 50 men. They wanted the symbolic establishment of the Turkmen Military Assembly. I suggested 150 names. They asked why 150, and said 50 was enough. Sheikh Bender is in charge of this power. These are being ignored by the PKK. On the other hand, 80 percent of those killed in Raqqa operations were Kurds, and 20 percent were Arabs. We see that the number of Arabs was increased, but this is deception. False promises were made. Although the YPG is seen as a part of the SDF, they do not accept this and say they are independent. The SDF is only a name. They do not exist in real life.What is the status of those who join the YPG from Western countries?They come from various countries and join the YPG. There were women too. We've seen some come for advertising. It turned out that a Canadian woman was a model in her home country. Those of them who return to their home countries say they fought against Daesh and try to declare themselves national heroes.How much are members paid?Salaries range between $170 and $200 monthly. Leaders are unpaid but earn from smuggling and corruption. I was getting my salary paid directly from Şahin Cilo. I was receiving thousands of dollars and my situation was very good. The militants receive the Syrian lira. The PKK leader team is unpaid but all their demands are met. Corruption was revealed.
Former SDF spokesman tells of US arming terror groups
Tribes ready to annihilate PKK
As the PKK/PYD’s pressure on civilians increases, so too do attacks on senior terrorist members. According to Munzir el Sellel, a Manbij Residents Assembly member, 13 PKK were killed in Afrin and Manbij in the last two months.
El Sellel reported that the tension in the region is rising, and tribes are preparing for a major uprising. He added that there were major attacks targeting two senior PKK members in November.
El Sellel believes the Syrian public is on the brink of a major resistance against the PKK/PYD, as they will not stay quiet in the face of persecution much longer.
Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalın on Friday called on the U.S. to “completely” cut ties with PKK/PYD terrorist organization.“The U.S. administration must completely cut ties with terrorist organizations such as PYD/YPG,” Kalın said in a statement.The PYD and its military wing YPG are Syrian branches of the PKK terrorist network which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years and taken thousands of lives.“Pentagon's statement [on Thursday] said ‘equipment which does not pose a danger would not be retrieved’. Others do not decide who or what threatens our national security, the Turkish Republic does,” he said.Turkish forces kill over 350 PKK terrorists in November“Since the fight against Daesh is over, the organization should not need these [weapons],” Kalın said. “However, we know that the U.S. has lost track of distributed weapons in Iraq in a similar way. So, these words need to be backed up with concrete steps.”Kalın said that almost 4,000 truckloads of weapons given to PKK/PYD to fight against Daesh in Syria must be collected without delay.Kalın said that if the U.S. would not take back the weapons, it would spread permanent instability in the region.According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry last week, Turkey was promised that Washington would not provide weapons to PKK/PYD terror group anymore in a phone call between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump.End of PKK activity in Turkey 'near', premier says“Giving new weapons will only deepen chaos and instability. It would be impossible to think that we would accept such a scenario”, Kalın added.According to a Pentagon budget report obtained in early June by Anadolu Agency, the U.S. military provides weapons to the PKK/YPG.They include 12,000 Kalashnikovs, 6,000 machine guns, 3,500 heavy machine guns, 3,000 U.S. made RPG-7s and 1,000 U.S. made AT-4 or Russian made SPG-9 anti-tank munitions.Since then, the U.S. has continuously armed the PKK/YPG, which has been heavily criticized by Turkey.
Turkey asks US to ‘completely’ cut ties with PKK/PYD
Turkish security forces killed over 350 PKK terrorists in a series of counter-terrorism operations across Turkey and northern Iraq in November.According to information gathered by Anadolu Agency, operations were conducted in southeastern and eastern provinces of Sirnak, Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Tunceli, Agri, and Iraq’s northern region.The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015. Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians.On Monday, Turkish forces conducted airstrikes in northern Iraq’s Asos region near the mountainous border with Turkey, killing 80 terrorists.End of PKK activity in Turkey 'near', premier saysA total of 296 PKK terrorists were also arrested in the operations. One of the arrested terrorists was a district head for opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).Additionally, a total of 14 security personnel were martyred, while 15 security personnel and two civilians wounded in separate terror attacks in November.On Nov. 2, six soldiers and two security guards were martyred, while two others were injured in an attack in Semdinli district of eastern Hakkari province.On Nov.3, a police officer was martyred and 9 others were wounded in southeastern Diyarbakir province.Security forces remand 62 Daesh suspects in IstanbulOn Nov.7, a lieutenant was martyred after being fired upon during a counterterrorism operation in the country’s eastern Van province.On Nov. 15, a soldier was martyred in clashes with a group of terrorists in Eleskirt district of eastern Agri province.On Nov.16, two soldiers were martyred and another soldier was wounded during a clash with PKK terrorists in northern Iraq’s Avasin-Basyan region.
Turkish forces kill over 350 PKK terrorists in November
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated that Turkey’s counterterrorism operations were yielding significant success on Friday during an Evaluation Meeting on Public Security and Fighting Terrorism in the General Command of Gendarmerie.“We can easily say this: There is no possibility for the PKK terrorist organization to recover. The end of the terrorist organization's activities inside Turkey is very near,” said Yıldırım.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.In its more than three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people, including women and children have been killed.PKK/PYD’s armory in northern SyriaSince the group resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.“We sent back over 50,000 foreign fighters trying to enter our country. We captured over 5,000 Daesh terrorists,” Yıldırım said.“Security forces stationed across the nation are conducting operations to destroy all threats,” he added.He also acknowledged that some innocent people could get defamed by the PKK.3 PKK terrorists killed in southeast Turkey operation"Unfortunately, since the organization [PKK] does not have any sacred values.... it can defame innocent people as group members. We are aware of this."He said the Turkish security forces’ fight against PKK terrorism last year had turned into an "epic" struggle.Defense sector growthYıldırım also said the number of projects overseen by the defense sector had increased to 553 from 66.“The total value of these projects amounted to over $60 billion.”The annual turnover of the Turkish defense industry topped $6 billion in recent years from $1 billion, he added.Yıldırım said three out of 100 leading defense companies in the world were Turkish companies, adding that the country should become self-sufficient in the sector.
End of PKK activity in Turkey 'near', premier says
The PKK/PYD terrorist organization has weapons -- given to them by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) for fighting against Daesh in Syria -- stored throughout its 13 main bases in areas they seized and control in the region.Anadolu Agency reporters have identified armories and shipping routes established by terrorist organization in northern Syria, with information they retrieved from reliable local sources in the PKK/PYD-occupied territories and open sources.The terrorist organization distributes these weapons to its members from these stores.Anadolu Agency identified the locations of the terrorist organization's armory bases and supply routes in northern Syria via information gathered from trusted local sources in PKK/PYD-held areas.According to this, since April 2016, the terror group has been receiving military aid from CENTCOM via the Semalka border crossing at the Iraq-Syria border, and from the bases located in northern Hasaka province Rmeilan as well as Harab Isk village in eastern Aleppo province.The terror group transports the heavy weapons, mine-resistant combat armored vehicles, fuel tanks and prefabricate containers used for military purposes from Semalka controlled by northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).- 2 routes to storages in al-HasakahThe weapons and ammunition are transferred to the terror group by two routes via land and air from Hasakah province.The heavy weapons, armored vehicles and fuel tankers coming through the land route are distributed to the spots around the Euphrates River.The weapons that arrive to the air base in Rmeilan from Erbil are distributed to three bases located in Hasakah; Darbasiyah, Tal-Baidar and Derik districts.Various weapons, ammunitions, and vehicles are transported to main bases in Harab Isk village and Jalabiya at its northeast via land route to the PKK/PYD-controlled areas via Hasakah and Qamishli number 6 motorway and M4 transit-way which runs through from Semalka to Aleppo.These two bases are also known as the largest bases in the terrorist organization controlled area.The weapons and ammunitions brought to the U.S. main base that was built last year in Sarrin district near the Euphrates River are also transferred out to the bases in Harab Isk village and Jalabiya by the terrorist organization.The weapons which are delivered to two main spots -- both from the land route in Semalka and the air route in Sarrin – are then distributed to different bases in Ayn Al Arab (Kobane), Tal Abyad and Saluq in Syria.'Even one hour of PKK/PYD-US cooperation is worrisome'Ammunition factories, bases in AfrinThe manufacturing of bullets and mortar shells belonging to the terror group and the production of cannon balls are done at some of the iron casting enterprises in Afrin, a district of Aleppo located across Hatay at the Turkish-Syrian border.Commercial trucks leaving from the country's southern Hasakah region, passing through Bashar Assad regime-controlled areas are carrying raw materials to the manufacturing facilities in Afrin.These trucks bring iron, steel and other ignition materials suitable for constructing ammunition.While some of the ammunition produced is stored in Afrin, some of it is sent to the other area-controlled by the terrorist organization.Arming Deir ez-ZorThe CENTCOM is also arming the PKK/PYD in Deir ez-Zor region at Iraq-Syria border on the grounds of combating against Daesh.The terrorist organization is receiving weapons through the land route.The shipment arriving from Simelka gate at the Iraq-Syria border is being stored at two different settlements at the 47th region of al-Hul neighborhood of Shaddadi district of southern Hasakah.US bases are also weapon storagesThe U.S. security institutes, aside from its military support, are in active cooperation with the terrorist organization with its nearly 2,000 troops in 10 locations.The military bases mainly located alongside the M4 highway from the Iraq-Syria border to northern Syrian city of Aleppo, are among the places used to deliver weapons to PKK/PYD terror group.Aside from the bases in Tal Abyad, Tal Baydar, Ayn al-Arab and Harap Ishk in northern Syria where the CENTCOM forces and experts are deployed via Rmeilan air base, Cebce residences in Shaddadi and Sirrin also serve as repositories for the terrorist organization.Weapons are supplied from the bases to U.S. forces and PKK/PYD terrorists.CENTCOM troops and experts in the district of Ayn Issa, located at northern Raqqah, also train the PKK/PYD terrorists in using multi-barrel rocket launchers, artillery, and land-to-ground missiles.US to retrieve PKK/YPG weapons that threaten TurkeyWeapons stored, not usedMost of the weapons and ammunition CENTCOM supplied to the PKK/PYD terrorist organization on the grounds of combatting against Daesh is yet to be used.According to the information obtained by Anadolu Agency, the unused weapons are being stored in Harap Ishk, located 21 kilometers off the Turkish border.Multi-barrel rocket launchers and missile ramps, 80mm and 120mm mortars, MK19 bomb launchers, M4 Cabrine and M16 infantry rifles, U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles, Humwee type military vehicles, Cougar-type armored personnel carriers, unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles, and FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, which the U.S. has repeatedly refused to sell to Turkey, are among the weapons and vehicles provided to the PYD/PKK terrorists.
PKK/PYD’s armory in northern Syria