PKK conducts series of attacks as US-Turkey deal in Manbij comes into force

PKK terrorists killed one and wounded 20 more in an attack against civilians who wouldn’t speak out against Turkey in Syria's Qara Qozak located in Manbij where the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire’s founder, will be relocated.

Simultaneously to the attack in Manbij, the PKK bombed the Jarabulus region by using two explosive-laden vehicles and also sent assassins to Syria’s Afrin region, which the Turkish Armed Forces had purged from terror elements.

“There is a clear consensus [with the U.S.] on our roadmap that we will move on to other areas after Manbij [has been cleared of PKK/YPG terrorists], Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday.

The roadmap was announced last month after a meeting in Washington between Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from Manbij and stability in the region.

Evaluating the attacks, Free Syrian Army Commander Zekeriya Karslı said, “The PKK is provoking civilians. They are using every possible tactic to prevent the relocation of the Suleyman Shah tomb,” he stated.

When the tomb is relocated, the PKK terrorists’ transition to the east of the Euphrates will become further arduous.

He also added that Turkey's Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar’s visit to the tomb was a clear message to the PKK.

“The place of the tomb has strategic importance for the PKK. If the tomb is moved to Qara Qozak, the Manbij- Ayn al-Arab line will be under threat for them,” said Karslı.

In 2015, the Turkish military relocated the tomb of Süleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire’s founder, from Syria’s Qara Qozak region in Manbij to the Ashme village of Aleppo, which is located near Turkey’s border, to protect it from the threats posed by the PKK and Daesh terror groups.

Security measures have been tightened in Manbij and Jarabulus following the attacks.

The Turkish military on Friday completed its tenth round of patrolling in the northern Syrian city of Manbij as part of the deal with the U.S. to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terror group.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.