Türkiye raises alarm as PKK/YPG moves 1,300 fighters into Syria for military training

The PKK/YPG terrorist organization is intensifying its presence in Syria by training and relocating fighters from Iraq and Iran to secure the capture of Ain al-Arab (Kobani).

According to local sources in Hasakah and Qamishli, cited by Anadolu Agency, the group has transported 1,300 supporters from Iran and Iraq to Syria since January 3, 2025, per Caliber.Az.

To strengthen its hold on Ain al-Arab against potential Turkish military operations, the PKK/YPG is gathering these fighters in Hasakah’s provincial centre and Qamishli district. From there, they are being transferred to camps in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, where they undergo armed training.

The PKK/YPG, which controls roughly a third of Syria’s territory, facilitates the movement of its fighters and supplies along a logistical route extending from northern Iraq to northeastern Syria.

Türkiye has voiced strong concerns over this growing presence, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stating, "The ultimatum we gave to them (PKK/YPG) is clear. We have conveyed it through both the Americans and the media. The international terrorists from Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, and other regions must leave Syria immediately."

In response, US Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, acknowledged Türkiye’s security concerns, adding that Washington believes foreign terrorists in Syria should leave the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier highlighted the extensive loss of life caused by the PKK's violent actions since 1984. He stated that from the time when PKK militants first carried out a bloody attack in Türkiye until March 2020, 7,500 members of Türkiye’s security forces and 6,800 civilians have died at the hands of the organization.

The US and the European Union have officially designated the PKK as a terrorist organization. Despite ongoing efforts by Ankara to resolve the situation, the PKK has resumed armed attacks since July 2015.

In recent years, the PKK has sought to shift responsibility for its bloody crimes in the region to its offshoots. In Syria, PKK terrorists have used the names PYD and YPG, and over the past two years, they have also referred to themselves as the "Syrian Democratic Forces." In Iran, the PKK operates under the name "Free Life Party of Kurdistan" (PJAK).

By Tamilla Hasanova