WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Hemo explained that Jaish al-Thuwar, a YPG component, was fighting in Raqqa instead of protecting the Shabha region. Jaish al-Thuwar is the main protection force for the Kurdish-controlled Shabha region, which is between Afrin and Kobani.
"We have shared our issue with the coalition. If the Turkish state continued its occupation attacks against Afrin and Shahba, the Raqqa operation will not continue," ANF news agency quoted Hemo as saying.
Turkey deployed troops to the Afrin border area in late June, saying it was responding to Kurdish aggression.
Ankara considers the YPG to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is a designated terrorist group in Turkey and the United States.
The SDF launched the operation to reclaim Raqqa on June 6, more than three years after Daesh captured the city. On Monday, US Department of Defense spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said the SDF was in control of 40 percent of the city.
