Signed by YPG spokesperson Nuri Mahmud, the stamen read: “as the People's [Protection] Units (YPG) and Women’s Defense Units (YPJ), we assure the public that our forces are continuing their hard struggle against the IS [Islamic State] terrorist organization and are determined to root it out from northeastern Syria.”
“We continue our legitimate and rightful struggle against the Turkish invasion army that declares its presence in Afrin as lawful and against the IS terrorist organization, supported by the invader Turkish state. Likewise, we confirm that there is no presence of our forces in Idlib.”
On September 13, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had a letter published in the New York Times that alleged without evidence that the YPG was going to participate in the Idlib offensive, which is widely viewed to be imminent, NRT reported.
“New reports suggest that the YPG, a terrorist group operating from Syria that has received arms and aid paid for by American taxpayers, has forged an alliance with Mr. Assad and is sending troops as part of a deal brokered in July to help him recapture Idlib from the rebels,” he wrote.
Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and considers it to be a terrorist group.
Ankara is supportive of many of the Syrian rebel groups that are operating in Idlib, the last large part of western Syria fighting against Assad.
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