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

By Levent Tok, Mohamad Misto and Adham Kako

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.

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.

YPG/PKK is increasing its level of threat with thousands of armed men.

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.

On Wednesday, Erdogan announced that an operation to clear east of Euphrates river of the YPG/PKK terrorists will start in a few days.

The terror group has occupied the region east of the Euphrates, which shares a 480-kilometer-long (298 miles) border with Turkey.

Turkish provinces of Sanliurfa, Mardin and Sirnak border the region.

The region east of Euphrates spreads to more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,374 square miles).

According to Anadolu Agency's map calculations, the area forms one third of Syrian territories.

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.

- Terrorists changing population structure

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.

In this belt, 70 percent of the population is still comprising of the Arabs.

The terror group aims to control the area in an easier way by forcibly changing the structure of the population.

The YPG/PKK has displaced civilians, mostly of Arab origin and some Syriacs, Kurds and Turkmens.

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.

According to data of Syrian Tribes and Clans High Assembly, the YPG/PKK has forcibly displaced 1.7 million people until today.

- YPG/PKK holds energy resources

The U.S.-backed YPG/PKK terror group has also captured the country’s richest energy resources under the pretext of fight with Daesh.

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.

On Oct. 22, 2017, YPG/PKK invaded the largest oil field of Syria, Al-Omar.

- Terrorists’ hold over fertile land

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).

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.

These dams on the Euphrates River meet 70 percent of the country’s electricity needs.

The YPG/PKK had gained control of these facilities between December 2015 and June 2017 with the U.S.’s air support.

- Support to PKK continues despite Daesh defeat

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.

However, the U.S. put into action a plan to establish a "YPG/PKK army” despite the fact that the Daesh has been cornered to a small area near the Iraqi border.

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.

In its latest overture, the U.S. announced its intention to erect observation points to block Turkish "harassment" of the terror group.

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 "local security force" to cement its presence in the region.