Syria: YPG forces respond to rebel threats in Aleppo

August 12, 2016
Issue 


Kurdish fighter in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood.

Kurdish forces of the People's Protection Units (YPG) responded in an official statement to the Syrian rebels' Aleppo Operations Chamber that said they will attack the Kurds after breaking a regime siege on Aleppo city.

“It has been two years and more since these [Syrian opposition] groups started launching heinous assaults using chemical weapons and other banned materials against unarmed civilians in the besieged Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo,” the YPG leadership said.

“The revolution they [rebel groups] are talking about is no more than a mask to justify the massacres and human rights violations being committed by those groups which are linked to outside agendas,” the statement added.

Speaking to ARA News, YPG official Meer Abass said that the recent improvement in the Turkish-Russian relations “will lead to a weakening of the Syrian opposition groups.”

“Turkish government will soon cut off supplies to the Syrian opposition groups after boosting ties with Russia, in preparation for a political solution,” YPG official Meer Abass told ARA News.

“Our last offenses on rebel group positions in the surrounding districts of Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, indicates our abidance to protect our people, since those positions have been used to bomb civilians in the Kurdish inhabited neighbourhood which caused loss of hundreds of woman and children and more thousands injured,” the YPG said.

Major Yasser Abd al-Rahim, Commander of the rebel group of Fatah Halab Operations Chamber in Aleppo, said on Tuesday that they will attack the Kurds in Aleppo, after the mainly Islamist rebels broke the siege of the Syrian regime on Aleppo city. On the other hand, Kurdish officials told ARA News they expect a long war to take place in Syria.

Earlier, Syrian regime troops managed to cut off the main supply road for opposition rebels –known as Castello road– and imposed a full siege over the city of Aleppo, however Syrian rebels eventually were be able to break the siege after getting reinforcements from other regions like Idlib.

Abd al-Rahim said that the Syrian opposition militias will take 'revenge' for the Syrian rebels that were killed by YPG, after they attacked YPG positions, vowing that Kurds “will not find a place to bury their dead in Aleppo”.

In the meantime, YPG official Siamand Rojava rejected the accusations, suggesting that the 'radical groups' of the opposition continue to attack and kill unarmed civilians in the Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud by artillery shelling.

“Our forces are trying to keep Kurdish areas safe, we've never tried to involve ourselves in the fighting between opposition groups and regime troops,” the YPG official told ARA News.

[Reprinted from ARA News.]

Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

You need Green Left, and we need you!

Green Left is funded by contributions from readers and supporters. Help us reach our funding target.

Make a One-off Donation or choose from one of our Monthly Donation options.

Become a supporter to get the digital edition for $5 per month or the print edition for $10 per month. One-time payment options are available.

You can also call 1800 634 206 to make a donation or to become a supporter. Thank you.