Jamil Karmo, who was among the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members in Afrin before joining opposition groups, deciphered the terrorist organization’s source and route of their arms and armories. Karmo spoke to Yeni Şafak daily about his experiences during his time with the PKK. He said that the U.S. has provided the PKK arms and ammunition in the Afrin and Azaz regions for three years.
Karmo said that in 2014, the Pentagon, which had fully controlled arms shipments to Syrian opposition groups under the name of "Military Operation Command" (MOC), transferred tens of thousands of weapons and ammunition to Afrin, along with Nissan and Toyoto vehicles for contracted groups.
Karmo stated that deliveries made from Azaz were carried out from the regions of Mare and Bursaya, and deliveries to Idlib were carried out from the Kubotan Jebel, Atmeh and Salwah routes.
Karmo joined the opposition by killing two elite members of the terror group in the Ayn Dakne village which is linked to Azaz.
“I personally witnessed some deliveries to the PKK from the Mera-Sheikh Isa region,” Karmo said, adding that some PKK members who would pass from the Kobani-Qamishli line to Afrin traveled to Afrin directly via the Pentagon brigades from Manbij without entering regime-held areas.
Describing the PKK as the enemy of the people, Karmo said: "In some periods, Western experts came to our camps. The senior commanders of the Assad intelligence and regime were among the visitors of Afrin. It is absolutely forbidden to talk to strangers who come to the camp and the frontline."
"The number of Afrin locals who received military training by the PKK between 2014 and 2017 appears to be 30,000. The largest camp is in Kafr Jana and the second largest camp is in Bas el Haya. The central headquarters of the Jaysh al-Thuwwar group, which was included in the PKK by the U.S. and is led by Cemal Maruf, was built in Tel Rifat under the name of Jayh al-Hilal Camp.
On the other hand, since 2015, MOC directly provided salaries, weapons, ammunition and all equipment under the guise of assisting opposition groups in Dera and Reyhanlı, and established groups directly linked to the Pentagon. Liva 51, Mutasim and Firat al-Hamza are military brigades that are still operating with U.S. directives in opposition areas.
“The PKK conducted 170 executions in Afrin between 2014 and 2017. These executions were generally justified by saying they were a Turkish agent. There were millions of dollars in profits from the border with Turkey through smuggling and many members shifted to Assad’s side after pocketing this money. Everyone in the organization acquires personal wealth by stealing from the people,” said Karmo.
The U.S has supplied the PYD with more than 5,000 truckloads of weapons to allegedly use in the fight against Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that the group is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror organization.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 along with Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.
