As Syrian regions liberated from terror by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) joined in on celebrations following Turkey’s elections, twenty terrorists were killed and dozens others injured after heavy clashes erupted in the city of Raqqa between factions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party terror group.
Conflict took place between Arab militia Thuwwar al-Raqqa, which joined the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 2015, and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group.
All attempts at mediation by the U.S. and France in an effort to put an end to the conflict in Raqqa have so far proven unsuccessful.
As clashes intensified in Raqqa, PKK terrorists imposed a general curfew in the city, after civilians took to the streets to protest against the terror group in Raqqa and its vicinity.
Three civilians were killed and eight women were wounded after PKK terrorists opened fire on a protest in al-Battani.
PKK terrorists summoned reinforcements from the Hasakah cities of Qamishli and Yaroubiyah, threatening to bomb residential neighborhoods if clashes continued.
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.
Hundreds of civilians in Raqqa’s city center and its outskirts are trapped due to the ongoing clashes in the region.
Over 400 civilians who came from numerous towns to visit relatives in the city are said to be held hostage by PKK terrorists.
Among those trapped is the infant son of the commander of the Thuwwar al-Raqqa Brigade Abu Issa.
Thousands of civilians are currently under siege by the PKK in the region under the pretext of resistance against possible conflict in Raqqa, banning the entry of all food and medical supplies into the city, in addition to suspending all humanitarian aid activities.
