By Muslum Etgu
SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) – Thousands of Syrians living in Turkey's southeastern border cities protested against the YPG/PKK terrorist organization on Sunday.
Nearly 3,000 Syrians, who fled civil war in their homeland, gathered under tight security measures in Akcakale district of Sanliurfa province along the Syrian border.
The group called on Turkey to launch counter-terror operation against YPG/PKK east of Euphrates in order to liberate the Syrian city of Tal Abyad.
Aliya al-Nasir, one of the Syrians speaking on behalf of the crowd, said the atrocities committed by the terror group were unacceptable.
“We request the Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to launch an operation east of the Euphrates [River] in order to free our provinces, districts and villages from the occupation [of the terror group],” al-Nasir said, recalling Turkey's two successful operations against Daesh and YPG/PKK in northern Syria in recent years.
Following the operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, “terrorists fled the area and residents safely returned to their own settlements, ” she said, adding the new operation could bring peace and safety in Tal Abyad.
Turkish troops — backed by the FSA — liberate large swathes of northwestern Syria from terrorist groups during the Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, while the Operation Olive Branch dealt a heavy blow to YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists liberating Syria's Afrin region in early 2018.
The group chanted slogans praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the FSA, while shouting against the terror supporters.
Al-Nasir also called on the U.S. administration to stop supporting PYD/YPG/PKK terrorists.
“Let Syria live in unity and freely,” she concluded.
Turkey has long protested U.S. support for the PYD/YPG/PKK while Washington sees it as a “reliable ally ” in its fight against Daesh in Syria.
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 death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
