Reuters
Published Mar 13, 2018 05:47AM ET
Syrian SDF accuses Ankara of ethnic cleansing in Afrin, Turkey denies
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A top Syrian Kurdish official accused Turkey on Tuesday of settling Turkmen and Arab families in villages seized in the Turkish army's campaign in the Kurdish Afrin region.
A senior Turkish official said the accusation was "absolutely false".
Turkey launched a major offensive in the northwestern Syrian region in January, aiming to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia.
Redur Xelil, the head of foreign relations in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-dominated militia alliance, said Turkey was conducting a policy of "demographic change" in the area.
"The Turkish government is settling Turkmen and Arab families in the villages of Afrin that it occupied after forcing out its people and is distributing the belongings of the people of Afrin to the new settlers," he said in a written message to Reuters.
The senior Turkish official said: "The claim that Arabs and Turkmen are being placed in Afrin is absolutely false ... A transfer of population to that region to change the demographic structure is out of the question."
Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is listed as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
The United States regards the YPG as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria.
Xelil added that Turkey's role in northern Syria was "laying the ground for ethnic conflicts and strife between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen".
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.