By Esref Musa
TELL ABYAD, Syria (AA) - Thousands of Arab youths in areas of Syria occupied by the PKK/YPG terrorist group are fleeing forced conscription and seeking refuge in regions under the Syrian National Army (SNA), the Defense Ministry of the Syrian Interim Government said Tuesday.
The youths resided in Al-Hasakah and Raqqa governorates and Manbij district of Aleppo governorate, the ministry said on X.
"The organization employs forced conscription to address the shortage of manpower and alter the demographic structure in the occupied areas," it said.
Hasan Cemmo, who sought refuge in a SNA region after escaping from the PKK/YPG, said: "The organization sent me papers every day to enlist in their ranks. To avoid joining the organization, I was forced to leave my neighborhood, Hazavne, in Manbij."
PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq and Syria to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, the UK and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian branch.