Süleyman Shah tomb to return to Manbij after PKK withdrawal

The tomb of Süleyman Shah is set to return to its original resting place following the withdrawal of terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syria affiliate, the YPG, as part of the agreement reached between Turkey and the U.S. in Washington regarding the PKK-occupied city of Manbij.

In 2015, the Turkish military relocated the tomb of Süleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire’s founder, from Syria’s Qara Qozaq 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 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Daesh terror groups.

According to the framework of the Manbij agreement, 11 observation points will be established in the region, six of which are to be manned by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), while the remaining five will be overseen by the U.S. army.

A strategic police force that is set to be formed in the city will put an end to the brutal occupation of Manbij and pave the way for services such as education, health and judiciary to be established again.

All remnants of the PKK occupation of the city are also set to be removed and, according to reports, a new council will be founded and be made up of Arabs and Turkmens.

All officials who assumed duties in Manbij during the PKK-occupation will be discharged.

After the regions of Horoz, Abu Galgal, Suleim, Tishreen, Sirrin and Qaraqozaq are cleared of terrorist elements, the tomb of Süleyman Shah will be moved back to its former location.

So-called senior members of the PKK from across Syria gathered yesterday in Tishreen and met with American officials to discuss the new phase, and according to reports, a collapse in morale was evident among them.

Speaking to Yeni Şafak daily, Syria Turkmen Council head Wajeeh Jumaa pointed that several members of the military and local council founded by the PKK in Manbij were senior members of the terror organization.

“Members of the organization, such as Jameel Mazlum and Sherwan Darwish, among other high-ranking PKK terrorists, who assumed duties in the Manbij council, were brought from numerous regions such as Qamishli and Ayn al-Arab. In the upcoming phase, these figures along with organizations linked to the PKK will be cleared out.”

After the PKK announced it was withdrawing from Manbij following Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s summit on Tuesday in Washington, the terror group declared that it would hand over power to the Manbij council, which was formed by the PKK in 2016, pointed Jumaa, noting that it was an obvious ploy and a delay tactic.

“Members of the pirate council that was mentioned by the terror group’s statement is made up completely by PKK affiliates. The PKK’s goal is again simply to remain in Manbij under U.S. protection through rebranding,” Jumaa concluded.

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.