Syria: Syria’s Self-Defence Forces join Operation Euphrates Wrath
Ain Eissa, Raqqa Province, Syria 25/11/2016
The General Command of Syria’s Self-Defence Forces announced it has decided to join in the battle to retake Raqqa from DAESH militants alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and as part of the US-led global coalition’s Operation Euphrates Wrath.
The group, which was formed in 2015, drew thousands of volunteers from across the towns and cities of the ethnically Kurdish area of Syria known as Rojava and consisting of Kurd, Arab and Assyrian men and women.
The group supports the YPG (People’s Protection Units). Turkey considers the YPG as part of the PKK which it sees as a terrorist organisation. The UN, HRW and Amnesty International have all accused the YPG of war crimes – which included child soldiers, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement.