Turkey: Turkish army readies for anti-People’s Protection Units (YPG) operation in Syria
The Turkish army has completed its preparations for a military operation against the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, according to the Turkish daily Sabah.
The outlet added that the military are awaiting orders from the Turkish government to begin the operation.
The YPG is the dominant group of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Many of its leaders spent years in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long war against the Turkish state, prior to forming the YPG. It includes Syrian and Turkish nationals as well as an international brigade with volunteers from a wide variety of Western states.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation in the US, EU and Turkey.