Syria Kurds Demand Coalition Act to Halt Turkish Raids

W460

A commander for Kurdish forces battling jihadists in northern Syria urged the U.S.-led coalition backing the offensive to prevent further Turkish strikes on their forces.

"We are asking the international coalition to intervene to stop these Turkish violations," the commander told AFP, after Turkish strikes targeting the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) killed 18 people on Tuesday.

"It's unthinkable that we are fighting on a front as important as (Islamic State group bastion) Raqa while Turkish planes bomb us in the back," the commander said.

The YPG has expelled IS out of swathes of territory in Syria's north and makes up the bulk of the units bearing down on Raqa city. 

Turkey carried out the air strikes on YPG positions before dawn on Tuesday, and also hit Kurdish militia in neighboring Iraq.

"The YPG will not be silent on this blatant attack, and we reserve our right to defend ourselves and take revenge for our martyrs," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said.

The U.S.-led coalition "has a huge responsibility and must carry out its duty to protect this area, because we are partners in fighting IS," he said.

He spoke to AFP at the targeted YPG base in the northeast province of Hasakeh, in a sliver of Syrian territory wedged between Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east.

AFP's correspondent saw rescue workers climb through the rubble of destroyed buildings at the base to look for survivors, as ambulances waited nearby.

Comments 1
Thumb gigahabib 26 April 2017, 13:52

Problem is, the world doesn't care about the Kurds, only when they can use them.