Syrian Kurd Leadership Calls on US to Stop Turks Attacking Rojava

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, the YPG, the military branch of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Turkish planes had attacked its headquarters in northeastern Syria near the town of Derik in the Qerecox mountains, targeting a media center, a local radio station and some military buildings as well as killing several YPG members. Kurdish media also said Iraq's town of Sinjar had been hit by Turkish jets, with over a dozen Peshmerga troops killed. According to these accounts, Turkey was said to have targeted a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) base in the region.

Kurdish Firat news agency reported that Yusuf and Ehmed called upon the international coalition and the United States to not leave their reaction limited to a statement, and demanded that the United States prevent such airstrikes, stressing that if necessary they would halt the operation to liberate Raqqa from the Daesh terror group (banned in Russia) and resist the Turkish army in order to protect their land.

Turkey's General Staff confirmed an operation against Kurdish positions.

Ankara considers the PYD to be affiliated with the PKK, which is listed as a terror group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union. However, the PYD and the YPG, as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are not outlawed in the United States and have been receiving US support in fighting Daesh in northern Syria.

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