The PKK’s Syrian branch, the PYD, seized on the popular uprising in 2011 to form armed units, including the YPG and the YPJ, in collaboration with the regime. It also took control of Afrin, Ayn al-Arab, and Qamishli to a large extent. Having eliminated Kurdish groups opposing itself with the regime’s support, the PKK consolidated its presence in the relevant areas and used the entry of Daesh into the Syrian theater as an opportunity. With Daesh advancing toward Ayn al-Arab, the YPG/PYD secured the support of the United States-led international coalition to expand at the expense of Daesh and become a dominant force in northern and eastern Syria. At the time, the United States oversaw the establishment of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which included some Arab groups, in an attempt to cover up its support for the YPG/PYD – which Türkiye viewed as a terrorist entity. Accordingly, there was an attempt to transform the PKK/YPG terrorist organization into a legitimate player. Yet Türkiye refused to turn a blind eye to those developments and opted to fight Daesh and PKK/YPG terrorists in Syria through military operations like Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring.
The U.S.-led Western countries continued to support the PKK/YPG despite Türkiye’s military operations. They also offered assistance in civilian fields (in addition to military support) in the name of putting in place an orderly administration in the relevant region. In this context, previous attempts at autonomy were brought together in 2018 as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria – which was the embodiment of the PKK/YPG’s objectives in Syria and thus aptly named. It is important to note that the PKK/YPG remained a terrorist entity despite the emergence of that administration. Specifically, it continues to commit war crimes and human rights violations in the region, including the recruitment of children, forced displacement, extrajudicial killings, and seizure of property. This report analyzes how the PKK and the PYD evolved into the SDF and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with a focus on the PKK’s war crimes and human rights violations, military presence and natural resources as well as Türkiye’s military operations against the PKK/YPG. In this regard, this study represents the result of a significant effort to understand and analyze the PKK/YPG. It is also a pioneering work in academic literature.
