A large number of residents of the town of Manbij in rural Aleppo on Tuesday took to the streets to protest against the practices of the militias of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) against civilians. Protestors called for an end to such practices and the withdrawal of these militias from the town and surrounding villages.
Local media outlets reported that a big demonstration was staged in the village of Aoun Al-Dadat north of the town of Manbij in response to the PYD militias’ detention of young man Mustafa Nader to recruit him in its ranks.
Activists said that the PYD militia used live ammunition to disperse the demonstration and threatened it would use the force of arms to recruit all military aged men in the town into its ranks.
Manbij town in January witnessed angry protests against the repressive practices of the PYD militias, especially the compulsory recruitment of young men. A general strike was staged in the town involving the closure of shops.
Recent weeks have seen rising anti-PYD sentiment in the areas under the militia’s control as the local population accuse the PYD militia of an array of crimes and violations, most notably killings, mass forced displacement, kidnapping and detention of Kurdish political dissidents. The Coalition stressed that these actions constituted war crimes under international law.
The Syrian Coalition condemned the practices of these militias as it reaffirmed its commitment to the aspirations of the Syrian people and their struggle against the Assad regime and its allied militias. The Coalition stressed that the primary goal of the revolution remains to liberate all Syrian territory from any tutelage, tyranny or terrorism as well as to enable the Syrian people to manage their own affairs. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
