The Ministry of Defense in the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) condemned the decision by the militia of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to impose forced recruitment on young men in the town of Manbij in northeastern rural Aleppo.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry said that the imposition of forced recruitment by the force of arms violates all human rights laws, stressing that the laws being imposed by the Democratic Union party (PYD) are invalid because they lack clear legislation and popular support.
The Ministry said that the PYD militia’s decision to impose forced recruitment is aimed at “serving its separatist ambitions in particular and contravenes the values and principles of the Syrian people as well as international law and international humanitarian law.”
The Ministry went on to say that many leaders and elements of the PYD militia are foreigners who can be designated “foreign terrorist fighters” under UN Security Council resolution 2178. It reaffirmed its commitment to protect all Syrians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.
In a similar vein, the Syrian Islamic Council condemned the practices of the SDF militia, stressing that the SDF militia and the Assad regime are two sides of the same coin. The Council called on all revolutionary, political, civil and military forces to stand up to the practices of these militias.
The town of Manbij witnessed a general strike to protest over the forced recruitment imposed by the SDF militia on people of the town, while demonstrations took to the streets in the villages east of Manbij to protest against the decision. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
