Syrians displaced by PKK/PYD hope to return home soon

AZAZ, Syria

Syrians recently displaced from the northern Aleppo province by the PKK/PYD terrorist group continue to voice hope that they might soon return to their homes.

In recent days, the PKK/PYD has been shelling the village of Jibrin south of Azaz city, which is home to some 10,000 people.

The PKK/PYD is reportedly conducting the attacks from the Arab town of Tal Rifaat and its immediate outskirts, which the group captured last year.

Some civilians have managed to flee Jibrin to safe zones set up as part of Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, launched last year with the aim of clearing northern Syria of terrorist groups.

Jibrin resident Said Nassir recently fled to a safe zone in eastern Azaz after his home was destroyed in the ongoing attacks by the PKK/PYD.

“We’re now living in an olive grove using trees as shelter. Before, we were under attack by the [Assad] regime; now its ally, the PYD, is the aggressor,” Nassir said.

“The PYD will some day pay the price for its actions in Syria,” he added.

Ahmed Yasin, another displaced civilian resident of Jibrin, said the PKK/PYD continued to shell the village every evening.

“We left Jibrin and came to this place in eastern Azaz, fearing for our lives,” Yasin told Anadolu Agency.

The PYD captured the predominantly Arab town of Tal Rifaat from the Syrian opposition early last year.

The PYD is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, which has been branded a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the U.S.

Yet despite its known association with terrorism, Washington views the PYD as a viable ally against the Daesh terrorist group in Syria.

In 2015, the PKK resumed its violent campaign against Turkey and has since been responsible for the death of some 1,200 people in that country.