Locals displaced from Manbij, northern Syria by the PKK terror group's offshoot in the country, the YPG, are now waiting for their homeland to be cleared of terrorists so they can return.
YPG terrorists forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee to areas close to the Turkish border from the Manbij district of Aleppo, which they occupied six years ago with the help of the United States under the guise of fighting Daesh.
Residents have been forced to migrate from Manbij, where more than 90% of the population is Arab, due to the YPG's practices, including forcibly recruiting young people into its armed ranks under the pretext of "compulsory military service."
Displaced people from Manbij have been living away from their homes for about six years in makeshift tents they set up with their own means around the al-Bab and Jarablus districts on the Turkish border.
Abdullah Shilash, the leader of the Beni Sait tribe in Manbij, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they are ready to do their part to rid their district of terrorists.
"We want the city to be liberated as soon as possible. We have been displaced for many years. We support the statements of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," he said, referring to the president's recent announcement that Turkey plans to rid Manbij and Tal Rifaat of YPG/PKK terrorists.
Emphasizing that the YPG is detaining Arab youth with practices such as "compulsory military service," he said: "Everyone is ready (for the operation). Those in the district and the displaced are ready."
"We are taking another step in establishing a 30-kilometer security zone along our southern border. We will clean up Tal Rifaat and Manbij," he said, adding that the planned military operations will gradually continue in other parts of northern Syria.
Erdoğan has said that since the U.S. and Russia have failed to live up to their commitments to provide a safe zone along the border region, Turkey is ready to mount an operation to protect the nation and locals in northern Syria from the YPG/PKK terrorist threat.
In October 2019, Russia committed to removing the terrorist group from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Turkey during Operation Peace Spring. Moscow also promised that the terrorists would be pulled back 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border on the M4 road and in the area outside the Operation Peace Spring zone.
Likewise, then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged to Turkey that the YPG/PKK terrorist group would withdraw from the Operation Peace Spring region.
Ali Suleiman from Manbij said that thousands of young people were forced to migrate because of the so-called compulsory military service.
Waiting for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) to take action so he can return to his district, he said: "We are counting the days to regain our lands."
Another displaced person, Cuma Hatib, said that he supports any military operation that will allow displaced civilians to return to their homes and stop fleeing the persecution of the YPG.
"I haven't seen Manbij for years because of the terrorist organization YPG/PKK. I hope that a military operation will begin as soon as possible to clear the district from terrorists."
The YPG terrorist organization harasses the predominantly Arab population of Manbij with its impositions, prompting the people of Manbij to organize demonstrations from time to time against the terrorist group's practices such as conscription.
Pressuring the people of Manbij to accept their demands, the terrorist organization monopolizes the fuel in the district, which had a prewar population of 1 million, depriving residents of the resource.
Having been forcibly displaced from their lands by the YPG in northern Syria, the people of Tal Rifaat gathered in the district center of Azaz and asked the TSK and SNA to clear their lands of the terrorists.
The YPG/PKK mostly carries out terrorist attacks in Manbij, Ain al-Arab and the Tal Rifaat district of Aleppo. The terrorist group even uses these regions as bases for its attacks. The YPG, which occupies roughly a third of Syria's territory with the support of the United States, frequently targets Azaz, Marea, al-Bab, Jarablus, Afrin, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain in the north of the country with heavy weapons.
In their attacks, the terrorists use advanced heavy weapons such as TOW missiles, multi-barrel rocket launchers, Katyusha and Grad missiles as well as U.S. and Russian-made rocket launchers and mortars.
The YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria since the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012. The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Turkey and the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria to fight the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Turkey strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.' support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Turkey and that terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.
While acknowledging Turkey’s security concerns, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price has voiced concerns about Turkey’s plans, saying a new operation could undermine regional stability and put American forces at risk.
Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
In 2019, an operation into northeast Syria against the YPG drew widespread international condemnation, prompting Finland, Sweden and others to restrict arms sales to Turkey. Now Turkey is blocking the two Nordic countries' historic bid to join NATO because of the weapons ban and their support of the terrorist group.