INFOGRAPHIC – YPG/PKK’s terror structure in region east of Euphrates

By Levent Tok, Mohamad Misto and Adham Kako</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – The YPG/PKK terrorist group continues its efforts to form a state in the region east of the Euphrates River in Syria, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a military operation will be launched soon. </p> <p>The terror group has changed the population structure of the area and has taken under control the country’s richest energy resources, agricultural lands and water resources.</p> <p>YPG/PKK is increasing its level of threat with thousands of armed men.</p> <p>In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Erdogan announced that an operation to clear east of Euphrates river of the YPG/PKK terrorists will start in a few days.</p> <p>The terror group has occupied the region east of the Euphrates, which shares a 480-kilometer-long (298 miles) border with Turkey.</p> <p>Turkish provinces of Sanliurfa, Mardin and Sirnak border the region.</p> <p>The region east of Euphrates spreads to more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,374 square miles).</p> <p>According to Anadolu Agency's map calculations, the area forms one third of Syrian territories.</p> <p>Since October 2014, the YPG/PKK has occupied territories located east of the Euphrates with an intensive support of the U.S., which provided arms to the terror group and bombed Daesh targets.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>- Terrorists changing population structure</p> <p>Ayn-al Arab district of Aleppo, Tal Abyad and Tabqa districts of Raqqah, Qamishli, Amuda and Ras al-Ayn districts of Hasakah and north of Dayr az-Zor province are the largest residential territories, located east of the Euphrates. </p> <p>In this belt, 70 percent of the population is still comprising of the Arabs.</p> <p>The terror group aims to control the area in an easier way by forcibly changing the structure of the population.</p> <p>The YPG/PKK has displaced civilians, mostly of Arab origin and some Syriacs, Kurds and Turkmens.</p> <p>The group is especially preventing those people, who want to return to their homes in Raqqah and Dayr az-Zor after the conflict with Daesh is over.</p> <p>According to data of Syrian Tribes and Clans High Assembly, the YPG/PKK has forcibly displaced 1.7 million people until today. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>- YPG/PKK holds energy resources </p> <p>The U.S.-backed YPG/PKK terror group has also captured the country’s richest energy resources under the pretext of fight with Daesh.</p> <p>On Sept. 23, 2017, the terror group captured the country’s largest natural gas plant, named Conoco, located northeast of oil-rich Dayr az-Zor city, and Jafra oil facility a month later. </p> <p>On Oct. 22, 2017, YPG/PKK invaded the largest oil field of Syria, Al-Omar.</p> <p><br></p> <p>- Terrorists’ hold over fertile land</p> <p>According to Anadolu Agency’s calculations, the terrorist organization controls the 60 percent of the agricultural lands in Syria, which correspond to 30,000 square kilometers (11,500 square miles).</p> <p>Along with the country’s most productive regions, the group also has a control of the country’s three largest dams to provide water for irrigation.</p> <p>These dams on the Euphrates River meet 70 percent of the country’s electricity needs. </p> <p>The YPG/PKK had gained control of these facilities between December 2015 and June 2017 with the U.S.’s air support.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>- Support to PKK continues despite Daesh defeat </p> <p> </p> <p>Since the beginning, the U.S. has been propagating that the support of the YPG/PKK is a short-term tactical policy aimed to eliminate Daesh.</p> <p> </p> <p>However, the U.S. put into action a plan to establish a &quot;YPG/PKK army” despite the fact that the Daesh has been cornered to a small area near the Iraqi border.</p> <p>The U.S. chief of staff announced it has trained 20 percent of the 35,000-40,000 people after the State Department announced it would create a border army with YPG/PKK terrorists.</p> <p>In its latest overture, the U.S. announced its intention to erect observation points to block Turkish &quot;harassment&quot; of the terror group. </p> <p>Turkish security sources told Anadolu Agency that Washington was building these observation points in a bid to protect the YPG/PKK from Turkish fire and help a YPG/PKK regular &quot;local security force&quot; to cement its presence in the region.

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