PKK in Syria

Hello everybody!

Ugh, that was quick! What was going on in Syria the last two days developed so fast, yesterday one of rare cases occurred when I’m giving up trying to put together a summary. There were too many developments, and it took time to cross-check all the related reports.

Let me try again now…

---

Sigh… even now, before I go on, I have to explain a lot about the backgrounds and context, simply because the mass of people interested in these affairs is deftly misinformed.

Myth: usually published guestimates about the Syrian population are counting this at 22 million (+) and explaining that only some 60% are Sunni-Arabs, while stressing large minorities of the Alawis, Christians, Kurds, Druze etc.

Fact: actually, the last census in the country - the one from 2004 - has shown that out of the population of 17,920,810, 90% were Arabs, and 84% Sunni Muslims. Moreover, less than 9% have declared themselves the Alawis, less than 5% Christians, 2% the Druze… and less than 8.5% the Kurds. And even then: the majority of the Kurds have declared themselves the Sunni.

With other words: all the mythology about Syria as a ‘multi-ethnic’ country… ho-hum.

Of course there are lots of minorities, nobody is disputing this. And their rights belong being respected. Period. Point is this: even in the EU, nobody would come to the idea to declare any of minorities in Syria for ‘state-building’ or ‘-forming’, and/or insist there must be ‘power sharing’ between Arabs (and Sunnis), and any of minorities: the latter would get their own schools, tables with place names in their own language etc. And that would be that.

So, why then demanding something of that kind for a terrorist organisation of Kurds from Turkey - and that in Syria…?

Principally because in 2014, the SOFCOM (US/NATO special operations command) and the CENTCOM (Central Command of the US Armed Forces; responsible for the Middle East) - i.e. the Pentagon - has ‘advised’ the PKK’s ‘offshot’ in Syria, the PYD (and its military wings: YPG and YPJ) to change its name to the ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’. Read: because the Pentagon has bypassed the State Department (and the CIA) and unilaterally concluded this for ‘necessary’ in order to circumvent US and EU-laws that have declared the PKK for a terrorist organisation and prohibited any kind of cooperation with it: because, in their opinion, the PKK was the ‘most effective anti-IS force’ in the country.

A PKK… erm… ‘SDF’ poster with PKK-leader Abdullah Öcalan, and PKK terrorists, in Raqqa (Syria) of 2016.

Official leader of the ‘SDF’ - Mustafa Abdi bin Halil (a.k.a. Mazloum Abdi, a.k.a. Sahin Cilo, a.k.a. Mazlum Kobane, etc., etc., etc.), from Ayn al-Arab/Kobani (on the Syrian side of the Turkish border) - is not only a personal friend of the (incarcerated) PKK-leader Abdullah Öcalan, but also a member of the High Command- and the Executive Council of the PKK, and an internationally sought terrorist. The US Department of Defence and King Dumb Dumb tend to address him with ‘General Mazloum’ in official correspondence, although he’s got no formal military education and thus no official military rank.

Actually, this was hogwash: the PKK was, ‘traditionally’ (already since the 1980s) cooperating with the Assadist regime and had a ‘working relationship’ with the Daesh (better known as that ‘Islamic State’). Which was no surprise: as of 2012, Assadists left it to take over the control of much of north-eastern Syria; while in 2014-2015, at least a third of the Daesh consisted of the Kurds (principally from Iraq). It was the Syrian insurgents who were combating the idiots already since 2013. However, the Pentagon has (unilaterally) declared the anti-Assad uprising in Syria for ‘al-Qaeda instigated’ and then took care to ‘leak’ its related conclusions to the press. Thus, everybody knew better…

Anyway: should there be any doubts in regards of re-branding the PKK to the SDF, check the video here, where the US General Raymond Thomas explained it very simple terms (and with a smug):

Of course, one can complain in similar fashion, and then a lot, about the Syrian Transitional Government. This is led by Ahmed ash-Sharaa, founder of the notorious Jabhat an-Nusra (JAN), later renamed the Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham (HTS) - which was insistently and persistently linked (foremost by the Pentagon, and therefore the entire ‘West’, but also the ‘East’) to the al-Qaeda. Unsurprisingly, the JAN quickly earned itself the designation ‘terrorist’, irrespectively of how often distancing itself from al-Qaeda (officially and unofficially). No doubt, at least some of that was well-deserved: a better part of me does not want to recall some of its deeds in western Idlib and northern Latakia from back in 2012-2014…

However: not only that the Pentagon did a lots of mistakes in this regards (like when bombing mosques full of civilians for suspecting these would be ‘JAN headquarters’ or ‘housing a JAN/HTS meeting’, massacring hundreds); but, in typical Syrian fashion (mind: the Syrians have proven themselves as the best de-radicalisers of Daesh-idiots already back in 2014-2016 period), at least Sharaa has learned a lots of lessons over the years. The most important between these is the degree to which Syria and its people are tired of aggression and terrorism of all sorts, and, actually, destroyed: the degree to which the country needs peace, recovery and normalisation.

…for which, of course, one has to curb the activity of other terrorist organisations around the country, regardless if these are supported by the SOFCOM/CENTCOM/Pentagon (PKK/PYD/SDF) or Israel (Hiriri’s Druze militias, but also the PKK/PYD/SDF).

---

Another important fact about the part of Syria (still) under the control of the PKK/PYD/SDF-conglomerate (the yellow-marked area on the map above) is the following: while the PKK in Syria is quasi-pursuant to its own, self-declared ideology of ‘democratic confederalism’, and back in 2017-2018 has declared the SDF-controlled-parts of Syria for ‘Rojava’, i.e. its own para-state, and its and supportive PRBS in the West declared these parts of the country for something like ‘Kurdish’, at least ‘predominantly populated by the Kurds’ - nothing of this is truth.

Actually, except for few towns (Ayn al-Arab/Kobani, Qamishli) there is no Kurdish majority in Raqqa or Dayr az-Zawr. On the contrary, these are predominantly populated by Arabs. Mostly Sunni, some Shi’a.

Furthermore, the PKK/PYD/SDF has never implemented its own ‘democratic confederalism’: it retained all the power in the hands of PKK-cadres, never sharing with local communities. Not even with non-PKK-Kurds (which is the majority of the Kurds in Syria). Even the SDF-units entirely staffed and commanded by Arabs have absolutely no authority: just like all the local administration officials, they always have PKK-tails attached, controlling every step they take.

The same is valid for their (much lauded in ‘the West’) ‘full participation of women’.

Unsurprisingly: while much of the local population initially welcomed the PKK/PYD/SDF as a ‘better alternative’ to the genocidal Assadists and the Daesh bestialities, since December 2024, the locals are meanwhile vocally demanding a re-union with the rest of the country. There were countless demonstrations in this regards - especially in Raqqa, but also in Tabqa and Dayr az-Zawr - and each time the PKK/PYD/SDF reacted with brutal oppression: shooting protesters, mass detention of political opponents, torture and similar. Whenever asked about this, the PKK/PYD/SDF declared such people for ‘IS-sympathisers/sleepers’.

Eventually, the locals took arms and as of January, there are several armed revolts by local Arab tribes, foremost the (famous/notorious) Sheitat, like here:

Leaders of the Sheitat tribe in the Dayr az-Zawr Province, declaring their rebellion against the PKK/PYD/SDF, on 17 January this year.

Sheitat are a ‘typical’ story from this part of Syria: back in 2003-2012, the USA were blaming them for ‘cooperating with al-Qaeda’ and sending their militants to fight the US (and allied) forces in Iraq. Came so far, the US armed forces several times entered Syria to fight the Sheitat (who, actually, have lots of relatives living in Iraq, and thus when these were killed by the Americans and allies, attempted to extract revenge). In 2012, together with most of other local tribes (plus Syrian Kurds), they rose against Assadism and quickly brought most of north-eastern Syria under their control (bar Qamishli and Dayr az-Zawr); even became the first Syrian insurgents to shot down one of Syrian MiGs. In 2013, they were attacked by the PKK as this took over from Asadists, and in 2014-2015, they were subverted and overrun by the Daesh - which mass-murdered hundreds of them, because they revolted (several times). Then the IRGC tried to subvert them, and was recruiting the Sheitat to fight the PKK/PYD/SDF…. and now they’re rising against the terror of the same conglomerate.

Rest assured, here two illustrations, explaining the actual nature of the ‘US/West’s darling’ PKK/PYD/SDF:

A PKK/PYD/SDF-collage cheering five children the PKK has deployed as suicide bombers during the recent fighting for the Sheik Maqsoon District of Aleppo.

Another of PKK’s children-soldiers killed in recent fighting against the Syrian Army.

---

Fast forward… along (US-mediated, not to say ‘imposed’) agreement between the government in Damascus and the PKK/PYD/SDF-conglomerate from March 2025, and again in October 2025, the latter was supposed to give up its control on any territories in Syria west of the Euphrates River. In turn, the USA are all the while trying to negotiate an official integration of the SDF into the Syrian Army - which is something nobody sane in Syria really understands (obviously: that’s excluding the PKK/SDF, but especially lots of its fans in the USA and Germany). For example: along the latest (US-) proposals, the Syrian Army was to consist of three (regionally-organised) divisions, one of which was to consist of PKK-troops. The PKK/PYD/SDF was also to share control over borders etc…

‘General’ Mazloum rejected all of this: he was insistent on administrative and military autonomy (similar to the one of the Kurdish KRG in Iraq).

Aiming to put the PKK/PYD/SDF under pressure, when no final agreement was reached, despite US-pressure, in December last year the government in Damascus began deploying forces of the Syrian Army around the area east of the Euphrates River - foremost the Dayr Hafer area - controlled by the PKK/PYD/YPG-conglomerate. This was not solely related to the relations between Damascus and the PKK/PYD/SDF: also to the fact that during the downfall of the Assad regime, back in December 2024, a large number of Assadist thugs found refugee in the PKK/PYD/SDF-controlled parts of Syria. With some help from Israel and Russia (at least from Assadists that found refugee in Russia), ‘General’ Mazloum began organising and arming them, and has let them start organising an uprising and insurgency against the government in Damascus.

Perhaps the most notorious between the Assadists present in the PKK/PYD/SDF-controlled Raqqa/Tabqa area of the last few days, was Mihrac Ural: the character responsible for the massacres of 100+ Arab-Sunni-families in Bayda and Banias, back in May 2013. This was instigated on Assad’s order, in order to spark a sectarian war.

Eventually, first (14-15 January) there were exchanges of artillery fire along the frontline in the Dayr Hafer area. Then (16 January) the US special forces appeared in the area, and the following day the PKK/PYD/SDF began withdrawing from there. Apparently, ‘General’ Mazloum agreed to withdraw his forces by 07.00hrs local time, on 17 January. About 2,5 hours later, the Syrian Army pushed into the Dayr Hafer area, while at 10.40hrs the PKK/PYD/SDF-media reported that the withdrawal was complete.

However, then the reports emerged about several PKK/PYD/SDF-units refusing to withdraw and fighting in Dayr Hafer and Maskanah. Some of units in question seem to have been staffed by Assadists. Eventually, another agreement was reached, and around 11.30hrs some 200 ‘SDF-linked’ militants were granted safe exit from Dayr Hafer. Then, 15 minutes later, the PKK/PYD/SDF issued a statement that Damascus was ‘violating the terms of agreement’…

By then, at least two Syrian Army troops were killed by the PKK/PYD/SDF-forces. Somebody also mass-murdered all the prisoners incarcerated by the PKK/PYD/SDF in the prison of Tabqa. Damascus then reacted with announcing that it’s ‘committed to extending control into the Western Euphrates region’, and its troops on advance to Tabqa - but also: that it’s granting the PKK/PYD/SDF a safe exit from there (and from Maskanah). The mass of the PKK/PYD/SDF began withdrawing from Tabqa across the Euphrates to the east - as far as it wasn’t units staffed by Arabs: several of these defected to the Syrian Army (for example in al-Ghanem al-Ali). The Syrian Army followed them across the river and secured not only Tabqa (including the nearby abandoned airbase), but all of the town of Raqqa: in turn, PKK left behind several snipers: reports say, these have shot at least 10 civilians by now.

A HMMWV (colloquial ‘Humvee’) left behind by the fleeing PKK/PYD/SDF and secured by the locals in Raqqa, yesterdasy.

With other words: regardless of how many reinforcements it has brought into the Dayr Hafer and Tabqa zones of the last week, the PKK/PYD/SDF’s control over the same all but collapsed within less than 48 hours. And the majority of those killed in this affair so far, were civilians shot by PKK/PYD/SDF’s snipers, mortar fire, artillery or rockets and missiles.

Moreover, at least 11 Sunni Arab tribes east of Dayr az-Zawr have not only announced, but also initiated their rebellion, and are in the process of kicking the PKK/PYD/SDF out of towns along both the Euphrates and the border to Iraq…

…while the Shammar Tribe has secured the area marked on this map:

What had to happen (that was clear already as of 2015), is now happening - and this is just the start. As a consequence, presently, not only the future of the PKK’s ‘Rojava’, but all the US designs for Syria are under a big (and growing) question marks. Of course, one should have no doubts: the final say will be on the USA. However, the US position is not really ‘improving’ now - and tying it to the fate of the PKK was simply an idiotic idea. Because, no matter how much air power and special forces the USA can deploy in north-eastern Syria, in grand total: the PKK neither has the popular support, nor the military power to remain in control.

Finally, one must keep an eye on what are the Israelis doing, because not only that they were lately cooperating with the PKK/PYD/SDF, but, two days ago, they made another advance into Syria east of the Golan Heights - ‘to improve security’, while, actually ethnically cleansing the local population (or detaining whoever refuses to follow their orders) and looting.