A human rights organization has reported a massive displacement of civilians in areas occupied by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in eastern Syria.
"Areas held by YPG/PKK have recently seen the mass displacement of civilians towards neighboring countries and Europe," Farhad Osu, head of the Rasd Syria Network for Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"Most of the migrants are young people who are forcibly recruited by the terror group,” he said.
Osu said the terrorist group forces migrants to pay hefty sums of money to be allowed to leave their areas "as most traffickers are members of the organization."
He also cited the deteriorating economic conditions, taxes imposed by the YPG/PKK and lack of jobs for pushing residents to leave the areas held by the terrorist group.
"Arbitrary measures taken by the terrorist group against civilians such as detentions are making the situation even worse," he added.
"YPG/PKK terrorists plant landmines in towns and cities and terrorize residents, making them eager to leave the area in search of safety,” Osu said.
Although the YPG/PKK controls most of the oil resources in eastern Syria, local residents suffer from very difficult economic conditions.
The YPG/PKK has controlled much of northeastern Syria since the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012.
Türkiye, which has mounted four operations in northern Syria since 2016, has vowed a new operation against YPG terrorists that control swathes of territory near the Turkish border. Among the potential targets are Manbij and Tal Rifaat.
Local people living in areas held by the YPG have long suffered from its atrocities, as the terrorist organization has a notorious record of human rights abuses, ranging from kidnappings, recruitment of child soldiers, torture, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in Syria. The YPG has forced young people from areas under its control to join its forces within the so-called "compulsory conscription in the duty of self-defense."
The terrorists often target Turkish forces who provide security in the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring areas and try to infiltrate the positions of Syrian opposition fighters from regions that the terrorist group was supposed to withdraw from under the agreements with the United States and Russia.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield in 2016, Olive Branch in 2018, and Peace Spring in 2019.
