The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Tuesday that the deadly clashes in Aleppo between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters were a deliberate effort to sabotage the peace process with Turkey.
In a statement reported by the Firat news agency, the PKK stated, “The attack on the Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo and the approach and attitude of state officials towards our movement sabotage the ‘Peace and Democratic Society’ process.”
The fighting erupted last week after negotiations stalled over the integration of the de facto Kurdish autonomous administration and its forces into Syria’s new government structure. By Sunday, Syrian government forces had taken full control of the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo. Kurdish fighters were subsequently evacuated to other Kurdish autonomous areas following days of intense conflict.
Ankara, which designates the Kurdish fighters in Syria as a terrorist group affiliated with the PKK, praised the Syrian government’s operation.
The PKK warned that the attacks in Aleppo “call into question the ceasefire between our movement and Turkey and the ongoing ‘Peace and Democratic Society’ process based on it.” The group urged Turkey’s ruling party and its allies to “refrain from steps and practices that sabotage the process,” adding that it had fulfilled its responsibilities toward the peace initiative.
