The YPG did not initially take an offensive posture in the Syrian Civil War. Late 2012: Islamist attacks make YPG dominant īy December 2012, it had expanded to eight brigades, which were formed in Qamishlo, Kobanî, and Ras al-Ayn (Serê Kaniyê), and in the districts of Afrin, al-Malikiyah, and al-Bab. After negotiations, government forces withdrew and the YPG took control of Kobanî, Amuda, and Afrin. In July 2012, the YPG had a standoff with Syrian government forces in the Kurdish city of Kobanî and the surrounding areas. Originally a wholly Kurdish force, the YPG began to recruit Arabs from at least 2012. Syrian Kurdistan and the Kurdish enclave of Sheikh Maqsood in Aleppo. Įxisting underground Kurdish political parties, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC), joined to form the Kurdish Supreme Committee (KSC) and established the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to defend Kurdish-inhabited areas in northern Syria, i.e. The self-defence committees that were to become the YPG were formed in July and August 2011 as the Self Protection units (YXG). They did not, however, emerge as a significant force until the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011. The riots resulted in around 36 dead, most of them Kurds. Government security forces entered the city to quell the riot, firing at the crowds. This resulted in clashes between the two groups who attacked each other with sticks, stones and knives. The riots began as clashes between rivaling football fans before taking a political turn, with Arab fans raising pictures of Saddam Hussein while the Kurdish fans reportedly proclaimed "We will sacrifice our lives for Bush". Kurdish activists attempted to unify themselves following the 2004 Qamishli riots. Among the heavy weaponry provided are TOW American anti-tank missiles. According to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency, the US military provided US$715 millions in weapons and equipment aid to the political party Democratic Union Party (PYD) and YPG. Ī light infantry force, the YPG has limited military equipment and few armoured vehicles. Due to this Turkish view, US Army Special Operations Commander General Raymond Thomas suggested the YPG to change their name, after which the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was found. The Turkish terror classification is not shared by key international bodies in the fight against the Islamic State in which the YPG takes part. The flag of the YPG is also a banned symbol in Germany as per Strafgesetzbuch section 86a, although the organization itself is not recognised as terrorist. Īccording to Turkey and Qatar, the YPG is a terrorist organization, closely associated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization. Sweden and Finland's alleged support for the YPG, is one of the points which caused Turkey to oppose Sweden and Finland's NATO accession bid. Several western sources have described the YPG as the "most effective" force in fighting IS in Syria. In 2016–2017, the SDF's Raqqa campaign led to the liberation of the city of Raqqa, the Islamic State's de facto capital. In late 2015, the YPG became part of the SDF, an umbrella group intended to better incorporate Arabs and minorities into the war effort. Since then, the YPG has primarily fought against IS, as well as on occasion fighting other Syrian rebel groups and the Turkish Armed Forces. In early 2015, the group won a major victory over the so-called Islamic State (IS) during the siege of Kobanî, where the YPG began to receive air and ground support from the United States and other Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve militaries. The YPG is active in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava), particularly in its Kurdish regions. A sister militia, the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), fights alongside them. It expanded rapidly in the Syrian Civil War and came to predominate over other armed Syrian Kurdish groups. The YPG mostly consists of Kurds, but also includes Arabs and foreign volunteers it is closely allied to the Syriac Military Council, an Assyrian militia. The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). SDF-controlled territory (green), claimed territory (orange), Turkish-occupied Afrin (red) in October 2018 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.Western al-Bab offensive (October–November 2016).Al-Hasakah Governorate campaign (2012–13).Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016).Light infantry militia with several motorised battalionsħ8,000 (Including YPJ, 2017 estimate)
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