Kurdish association in Syria backs Turkey’s operation

By Selen Temizer

ANKARA (AA) - Syrian Kurds support Turkey’s ongoing Operation Peace Spring to destroy the terror corridor at the southern border, said a statement released by Syria’s Independent Kurdish Association (SBKR) on Wednesday.

“PKK and its extensions in Syria dragged not only Kurds but all sections in the region into a disaster,” the statement said.

“To reach a safe-zone, which was a national demand of the Syrian revolution, and to get rid of the terrorist organizations in the region, we declare our support to Operation Peace Spring,” it added.

The group also called on people in the region to stay away from military zones and not to leave their homes.

“Do not follow the provocative discourse spread by PKK/PYD,” the group advised.

Syria’s Independent Kurdish Association (SBKR) is known for its opposition against the YPG/PYD terrorist group.

Abdulaziz Temmo, head of the group, told Anadolu Agency in an interview last year that the YPG/PKK “does not serve or represent the nation’s Kurds”.

Turkish troops along with the Syrian National Army (SNA) have begun Operation Peace Spring against the PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists in northern Syria on Wednesday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced.

The operation was launched east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorist elements and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.

Turkey has said the terrorist group PKK and its extension the YPG/PYD constitute the biggest threat to Syria’s future, jeopardizing the country’s territorial integrity and unitary structure.

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, children, and infants.