YPG/PKK intensify terrorist activities in Manbij, Syria

By Muhammed Misto

MANBIJ, Syria (AA) - Terror group YPG/PKK has expedited its terrorist activities in the Manbij region of northern Syria, local sources said Saturday.

The sources, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, said the terrorists were forcing youngsters to take up arms.

The terror group has been forcibly recruiting civilians who were born between the years 1988-2000. Those who resist have been given a deadline till May 5 by the terrorists, after which they will face detention and punishment, the sources added.

On Friday, the YPG/PKK terrorists captured 200 residential and commercial properties owned by Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army members and their families.

The terror group has increased its checkpoints across Manbij, with one in almost every street.

YPG/PKK seized Manbij in August 2016 from Daesh terror group with the support of U.S. military, straining ties between Ankara and Washington.

The U.S. has supported the YPG/PKK under the name of SDF, which is considered by Ankara as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror organization that has waged a more than 30-year war against the Turkish state, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.