PYD/PKK, Daesh terrorists strike deal to fight together

By Sarp Ozer

AFRIN, Syria (AA) – Cornered by Turkish and Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces, the PYD/PKK terrorist group continues to seek ways to fight Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin region, according to security sources.

To aid their terrorist fight, the PYD/PKK released Daesh members from prisons in Afrin, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zour on the condition that they fight against the Turkish Armed Forces and the FSA, the sources told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

Around 400 Daesh terrorists were taken to the town of Jinderes, south of Afrin.

The terrorist group struck a deal with Daesh terrorists -- a group largely defeated in Syria -- to use them as a tool against Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, said the sources.

The PYD/PKK convinced the Daesh terrorists to take their side by offering to end their punishment, having their names struck off terrorist lists, and ending their home countries’ tracking of them.

Local sources have said that the Daesh terrorists, acting together with the PYD/PKK, are planning terror attacks on Turkish military elements and civilians, especially in the Jinderes region.

The sources also said the PYD/PKK is trying to bring arms, vehicles, and terrorist reinforcements from Syria’s other regions, and recruiting new terrorists, including young people forcefully taken from their families.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.

Amid the operation, the PYD/PKK has carried out cross-border attacks on Turkey by firing rockets on civilian neighborhoods.

According to the Turkish General Staff, Operation Olive Branch aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from terrorist oppression and cruelty.

The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN Charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity.