Arab tribes continue fighting PKK/YPG terror group for 12th day in eastern Syria

By Omer Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan

AZAZ, Syria (AA) - Clashes continued Thursday between Arab tribes and the PKK/YPG terror group in the eastern Syria province of Deir ez-Zor, according to sources.

Operations launched by Arab tribes against the terror group in Deir ez-Zor that started Aug. 27 have been expanded with the participation of other Arab tribes.

Other tribes have opened new fronts against the terror group in the villages of Al Kasrah, Abu Khashab and Ruwaished in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor.

The PKK/YPG uses US-made weapons and military vehicles against Arab tribes in the region and also uses civilians as human shields which forced some tribes to stop the fight.

A total of 33 villages have been liberated from PKK/YPG occupation since Aug. 27 in the rural areas of the Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Hasakah provinces and the Manbij district of Aleppo.

The population of Deir ez-Zor, which the terror group occupied under the pretext of fighting Daesh/ISIS with the support of the US military, are Arabs.

The PKK/YPG is also forcibly recruiting Arabs and children in the regions it occupies, as documented by reports by the UN and human rights groups.

The terrorists generate income by selling oil to Damascus through smugglers, from seized oil wells in the region, despite US sanctions. While the PKK/YPG uses the income for its purposes, residents in the region are deprived of local services and much-needed aid.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi