YPG/PKK marks jailed leader Ocalan’s birthday

By Selen Temizer and Levent Tok

ANKARA (AA) - The YPG/PKK terrorist organization marked the birthday of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan on Friday.

According to information from local sources, the YPG/PKK held celebrations in areas of northern Syria under its occupation including Manbij, Tal Abyad, Ayn Isa, Kamisli, Amude and Rumeylan.

Posters of Ocalan and banners praising the terror group's leader were carried.

Ocalan, born on April 4, 1948, was convicted of terrorism and treason in 1999 and is serving a life sentence in Turkey.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.

The YPG has managed to occupy one-third of Syria under the guise of fighting against Daesh with the support of the U.S.

The U.S., which considers the PKK a terrorist organization, changed the YPG’s name to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in July 2017 in order to dissociate it with the PKK.

In the last two years, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations liberated the region from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.