By: NAGEHAN ALÇI*
The PYD is as dangerous as DAESH. They are like Siamese twins in Syria
Supported by Turkey, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) continues its advance after cleansing Jarablus of DAESH presence. However, the situation in Syria is complicated. Balances can change and the seized lands can be retaken at any moment. The world’s leading agents are active in the region and a vicious large-scale war is fought by agonizing unfortunate Syrian people.
To observe the experiences of people in the face of the latest developments, I asked former Syria Turkmen Front Chief Abdurrahman Mustafa, whose family is still in Jarablus, about the life in the town. When I asked about the activities of DAESH in the town and how they affected their lives, he said, “When DAESH forces enter a place, they first collect people in the neighborhood, then choose five or six people and decapitate them before everyone’s eyes. In this way, they scare and intimidate people. Then they declare their rules: How women must veil themselves and how life will go on et cetera. As long as you conform to their rules, they do not touch you.”
A terrorist organization that allows you only to live in a ghost town where everything is forbidden and death is all around…
Then I asked Abdurrahman Mustafa about the Democratic Union Party (PYD). He said, “The PYD is as dangerous as DAESH. They are like Siamese twins. The PYD completely displaced us Turkmens from the east. They are gaining ground through ethnic cleansing. They only settle Kurds who accept their ideology on the lands they seize, forcing us to exile. In some spots, they give coordinates to coalition forces and make false denouncements and coalition forces bomb the locations upon that information. So, people in the region are killed and the demographic structure is changed this way.”
Essentially, while we are describing the developments on the Syria map, we are talking about thousands of people whose lives are messed up and stuck between two malicious factors. Those people regard the FSA’s saving of the region with the aid of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) as a “rebirth.” For this reason, the successful progress of the operation is very precious especially when all the troubles surrounding us are considered.
Turkey made constant warnings with regard to the border security since the beginning of the Syrian civil war. The country demanded the formation of a buffer zone or a safe zone but the U.S. did not make any attempt to implement Turkey’s offer. Yet now, it is seen that one of the results of the Jarablus operation is forming a buffer zone there. This will both enable border security and allow the region to be able to breathe again since it is eradicated form both DAESH and PYD.
However, the struggle is not yet over after saving Jarablus. The following days will determine what will happen in Manbij, whether a clash with the PYD’s armed wing People’s Protection Units (YPG) will happen, and at which operations in Syria Turkey will be effective. It should be kept in mind that the main goals here are to provide border security, prevent the PYD from establishing a line parallel to our borderline and prevent DAESH attacks targeting Turkey. In other words, the goal is not to annihilate DAESH in Syria. The agents in the field and coalition forces are already striving for this goal. Plus, Turkey cannot plunge into such a ring of fire.
Meanwhile, Al-Bab, which is a critical location for the YPG to unite its cantons, has gained importance in the aftermath of the Jarablus operation. Therefore, Al-Bab is coveted by both the YPG and FSA forces.Upon the FSA’s successful seize of control in Jarablus with the aid of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the northern Syria, Turkmens in the town have been relieved, but the situation is still complicated. The YPG keeps advancing and Turkey announced that the YPG will be targeted if they do not retreat. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu confirmed the announcement yesterday. The U.S. expressed its disturbance over Turkey’s targeting the YPG. Russia and Iran also play important roles in the equation. In a nutshell, the proxy wars of the world’s leading powers are ongoing in Syria.
* NAGEHAN ALÇI is a Turkish Columnist. She writes for Daily Sabah Turkish newspaper.
(Published in Daily Sabah on Wednesday, August 31, 2016)
