RUDAW: Kurdish force may leave Raqqa campaign if Turkey continues attacks
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The head of the Kurdish YPG forces that comprise the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have warned they will withdraw from the alliance if Turkey continues to increase its attacks on the Shahba region and Afrin.
Sipan Hemo said that they have communicated their concerns to the US-coalition in “clear” terms.
Turkey considers the YPG an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed rebel force opposed to the Turkish state. The YPG has the same ideological roots as the PKK but denies any links.
“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,” Hemo told the PKK-affiliated ANF media on Friday.
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