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Syrian opposition calls for deploying Rojava Peshmerga in buffer zone

Syrian opposition calls for deploying Rojava Peshmerga in buffer zone
Syrian opposition calls for deploying Rojava Peshmerga in buffer zone

2019-08-18 00:00:00 - Source: kurdistan 24

The ENKS is an umbrella group made up of smaller Syrian Kurdish political parties, based in Erbil and ideologically linked to both the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

As the current conflict developed in Syria, the YPG came to control Kurdish-majority areas in Syria that Kurds refer to as Rojava. Some Syrian Kurds in Iraq opposed the left-leaning YPG and wanted to join units more closely connected to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the leading party in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Major disagreements between Rojava Peshmerga and the SDF appear to be more of a political issue than a military one. The SDF is generally known as the armed wing of the PYD, while ENKS views itself as the political umbrella of the Rojava Peshmerga. 

The PYD, whose forces battle against Turkish-based Syrian Islamist rebels and al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Syria, views ENKS as an opponent, in part because it is part of the opposition backed by Ankara known as the Syrian National Coalition.

This competitive relationship between PYD and ENKS has been historically laden with deep mutual suspicion.

As the SDF, US, and Turkey continue to discuss which forces should be present in the proposed buffer zone, the SDF has suggested that local security forces known as the local military councils be used.  

Read More: SDF command reveals details about buffer zone in northeast Syria

This plan is similar to what happened in the city of Manbij when it was liberated from the Islamic State in 2016. YPG and YPJ commanders who were from towns west of the Euphrates such as Hassakeh and Qamishli withdrew, leaving security responsibilities there to local commanders who formed the Manbij Military Council (MMC).

Turkey, however, rejects the use of such local forces, claiming that they are affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is fighting a decades-long insurgency against Ankara.

As a result, the Turkish-based Syrian opposition instead favors the use of the Rojava Peshmerga. 

Editing by John J. Catherine





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