Syrian traders protest PKK/PYD move to arm local youths

By Adham Kako and Mohamad Misto

ALEPPO, Syria / ANKARA (AA) - Traders in Manbij city of Syria's northern Aleppo province closed down their shops on Sunday to protest the PKK/PYD terror group's move to arm the local youths.

According to local sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, the terrorist group forces the locals in Manbij, in eastern Aleppo, to arm themselves.

The Syrian opposition groups in the al-Bab district reportedly called the protest.

Nearly all the traders responded to the call by taking down their shutters and holding protests, the sources said, adding that some were taken captive by the terror group.

The protest is "against Assad regime, PKK, and the gangs in Qandil," Seikh Rafi Ukla er-Raco, deputy head of the Supreme Council of Syrian Tribes and Clans, told Anadolu Agency. He said the protests are "the start of a revolution".

Turkey has repeatedly demanded that the terrorist PKK/PYD in Manbij withdraw to east of the Euphrates.

While the U.S. administrations saw the PYD as a “reliable ally,” Turkey has consistently stressed that it is part and parcel of the terrorist PKK -- which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.