Syrian Kurdish groups back Turkey’s anti-terror push

ANKARA

Two Kurdish associations in Syria on Friday voiced support for Turkey’s newly launched anti-terror operation in northern Syria.

The terrorist group YPG/PKK is oppressing Arabs and Kurds in the region with the support of the Assad regime, said a joint statement by Syria’s Independent Kurdish Association (SBKR) and Kurdish National Action Front.

“Masses of people from Arab and Kurdish regions seized by terror groups have been forced to migrate in the last few years. Many Kurds were arrested, and human rights in the region have been violated,” the statement said.

Underling that the goal of Turkey’s new operation is to eliminate the threat the PKK’s offshoots in Syria pose to the Syrian Kurdish people, it said: “In order to become a ray of hope for our people, we support Operation Peace Spring.”

Syria’s Independent Kurdish Association (SBKR) is known for its opposition to the terrorist YPG/PYD, the Syrian offshoot of the terrorist PKK.

Turkey on Wednesday launched Operation Peace Spring east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorists there and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.

Ankara wants to eliminate from the region terrorist elements of the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD/YPG.

Turkey has said the terrorist group PKK and the YPG/PYD constitute the biggest threat to Syria’s future, jeopardizing the country’s territorial integrity and unitary structure.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.