Turkiye following clashes between Arab tribes, Kurds in Syria with 'concern'

Clashes between the PKK/YPG (PKK listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the U.S. and the EU and YPG which Turkiye consider as the extension of PKK in Syria) and Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor spread to Manbij, in Syria, on September 1, 2023. [Bekir Kasım – Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye has announced that it is following with “concern” the recent and ongoing clashes between Kurdish militias and Arab tribal fighters in eastern Syria, in its first public comments on the developments.

Throughout the past week, armed members of local Arab tribes in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province have pushed back against and captured numerous positions held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reportedly after an SDF attack on the village in the Jarablus region which killed six people and injured eight others.

In a statement by Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, it called the recent development “the new manifestation of PKK’s attempts to dominate Syrians by applying violence and pressure on them and violating their basic human rights,” referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara insists is directly linked to and the basis of the Kurdish militias in Syria.

“We hope that true colours of PKK, seeking to cover up its aims and intention under the pretext of fight against Daesh/ISIS, will be seen by its supporters without further delay and without causing further suffering to the ancient peoples of the region, including the Syrian Kurds,” the statement added.

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