Iraqi Kurd politician blames PYD/PKK for displacements

By Muhammet Kursun and Hemin Huseyin

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - The PYD/PKK terrorist group is responsible for the displacement of large numbers of Syrian Kurds, a Kurdish politician based in Erbil said Thursday, going on to voice support for Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin district.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sheikh Abderrahman Othman, a member of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government, said Syrian Kurds had borne the brunt of the PYD/PKK’s depredations in the region.

“Many Syrian Kurds have been displaced by the PYD/PKK,” he said, “while a number of Syrian Kurdish political parties have been forced to relocate to Erbil.”

Since the terrorist group began taking more territory in northern Syria in early 2016, over 250,000 Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds have been forced to flee their homes in the area.

In terms of recent developments in Syria, Othman said: “It’s still not too late for Syrian Kurds to cooperate with the Syrian [anti-regime] opposition with a view to restoring regional peace and security.”

Such a policy, Othman asserted, would also improve the prospects of Syrian Kurds being given prominent positions in future Syrian governments.

Last Saturday, Turkey, along with the Free Syrian Army, launched a wide-ranging military campaign in Syria’s northern Afrin district with the twin aim of eliminating terrorist elements and protecting the civilian population.