(Zaman al-Wasl)- Democratic Union Party (PYD) fighters have stopped Arabs from entering Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, in the past few weeks, whether they are coming from Turkey through the border crossing of Murshed Pinar or from Islamic State controlled areas in the countryside of Aleppo and Raqqa.
Syrians wanting to return to the country were surprised by Turkish soldiers at the Murshed Pinar border crossing asking about their ethnicity while they gathered in front of the border crossing area ready to go to Ayn al-Arab, according to a group of young men who tried to cross to go to their villages surrounding the city Tel Abyad north of Raqqa.
One of the young men told Zaman al-Wasl, he was unable to enter because he did not have a Turkish Kimlik that is particular to Syrians while his sister managed to cross the border crossing point from the Turkish side with her small daughter, but she faced problems with the checkpoint belonging to the fighters from the PYD who refused to let her into Ayn al-Arab because she is an Arab, indicating that the Turkish soldiers had told them that the other side will only allow Kurds to enter the city from the border crossing point, and they- the Turks- tried to stop Arabs from entering.
The young man added, that his sister waited for a long time at the Syrian side of the border crossing and felt she had fallen into a trap, but in the end a group of non-Kurdish border crossers gathered and they were transported in a mini-van to Tel Abyad without being allowed to get off at any other place.
A woman from Aleppo spoke on condition of anonymity to Zaman al-Wasl saying she had been waiting to cross close to the border crossing, and she rented a car to transport her luggage and bags of her belongings for 30 Turkish Lira. At exactly 12 noon, the border guards began calling on people to queue, women on the east and men queued on the west.
She added, “One of the soldiers called out to those without the Turkish card to not stand in the line and return to where they came from, and then repeated that only Kurds from this city (Ayn Arab) will be allowed to cross.”
She continued, “I was surprised by this talk, I did not image that I would be prevented from entering any part of Syria so I ignored the Turk’s talk and was determined to enter heading to Qamishli airport with the aim of using a plane to pass over the areas of conflict.” She indicated that, “The PYD checkpoint prevented her from passing into Syrian territory, and she stayed with a group of people while waiting for her belongings, which were being searched in the car they were stored in, in a section of the border crossing that was separated by using barbed wire, until the personal on the checkpoint changed their minds and asked those waiting to ride in a car that would transport them to Tell Abyad north of Raqqah and then to the city of Ras al-Ayn in Hasakh.”
Zaman al-Wasl had in the past weeks observed the entry of tens of Syrians from Turkey to Syria through the border crossing of Murshed Pinar which happen on two days in the week, Monday and Thursday. Many of the border crossers are from Syria’s eastern provinces and Aleppo.
In the same context, an Arab fighter within the alliance Syrian Democratic Forces spoke to Zaman al-Wasl about Arab families being prevented from heading from Isis held areas to safe areas north of Raqqah and in Ayn al-Arab. He clarified that in a village called al-Salhabiyet, over 150 Arab families gathered, Isis did not allow them to move to areas outside of its control, and the PYD did not allow them to enter safe areas, even just to cross through them, except on one path that takes them to al-Mabrouket camp.
The fighter said, “On the 16th of April we managed to safely smuggle two families from the village of Ras al-Ayn that is subordinate to the town of Sarrin and they have been guaranteed,” without clarifying the location they moved them to.
Isis had launched a sudden attack on Ayn al-Arab on Thursday 25 July 2015 after its personal disguised themselves by wearing militia outfits belonging to the PYD, and they took control of several points inside it for three days, during which confrontations were ongoing with the Kurdish party’s fighters which led to hundreds of deaths and wounded, amongst them civilians.
It must be indicated that the PYD with the assistance of the NATO fighter jets gained the city of Ayn al-Arab from the hands of Isis in the end of January 2015. Isis had controlled parts of it from the start of October 2014 following a widespread attack started in September 2014 during which they gained control of around 300 villages that are subordinate to the area of Ayn al-Arab, after confrontations with PYD.
(Reporting by Mohamed al-Hussein; Translation by Rana Abdul)
Syrians wanting to return to the country were surprised by Turkish soldiers at the Murshed Pinar border crossing asking about their ethnicity while they gathered in front of the border crossing area ready to go to Ayn al-Arab, according to a group of young men who tried to cross to go to their villages surrounding the city Tel Abyad north of Raqqa.
One of the young men told Zaman al-Wasl, he was unable to enter because he did not have a Turkish Kimlik that is particular to Syrians while his sister managed to cross the border crossing point from the Turkish side with her small daughter, but she faced problems with the checkpoint belonging to the fighters from the PYD who refused to let her into Ayn al-Arab because she is an Arab, indicating that the Turkish soldiers had told them that the other side will only allow Kurds to enter the city from the border crossing point, and they- the Turks- tried to stop Arabs from entering.
The young man added, that his sister waited for a long time at the Syrian side of the border crossing and felt she had fallen into a trap, but in the end a group of non-Kurdish border crossers gathered and they were transported in a mini-van to Tel Abyad without being allowed to get off at any other place.
A woman from Aleppo spoke on condition of anonymity to Zaman al-Wasl saying she had been waiting to cross close to the border crossing, and she rented a car to transport her luggage and bags of her belongings for 30 Turkish Lira. At exactly 12 noon, the border guards began calling on people to queue, women on the east and men queued on the west.
She added, “One of the soldiers called out to those without the Turkish card to not stand in the line and return to where they came from, and then repeated that only Kurds from this city (Ayn Arab) will be allowed to cross.”
She continued, “I was surprised by this talk, I did not image that I would be prevented from entering any part of Syria so I ignored the Turk’s talk and was determined to enter heading to Qamishli airport with the aim of using a plane to pass over the areas of conflict.” She indicated that, “The PYD checkpoint prevented her from passing into Syrian territory, and she stayed with a group of people while waiting for her belongings, which were being searched in the car they were stored in, in a section of the border crossing that was separated by using barbed wire, until the personal on the checkpoint changed their minds and asked those waiting to ride in a car that would transport them to Tell Abyad north of Raqqah and then to the city of Ras al-Ayn in Hasakh.”
Zaman al-Wasl had in the past weeks observed the entry of tens of Syrians from Turkey to Syria through the border crossing of Murshed Pinar which happen on two days in the week, Monday and Thursday. Many of the border crossers are from Syria’s eastern provinces and Aleppo.
In the same context, an Arab fighter within the alliance Syrian Democratic Forces spoke to Zaman al-Wasl about Arab families being prevented from heading from Isis held areas to safe areas north of Raqqah and in Ayn al-Arab. He clarified that in a village called al-Salhabiyet, over 150 Arab families gathered, Isis did not allow them to move to areas outside of its control, and the PYD did not allow them to enter safe areas, even just to cross through them, except on one path that takes them to al-Mabrouket camp.
The fighter said, “On the 16th of April we managed to safely smuggle two families from the village of Ras al-Ayn that is subordinate to the town of Sarrin and they have been guaranteed,” without clarifying the location they moved them to.
Isis had launched a sudden attack on Ayn al-Arab on Thursday 25 July 2015 after its personal disguised themselves by wearing militia outfits belonging to the PYD, and they took control of several points inside it for three days, during which confrontations were ongoing with the Kurdish party’s fighters which led to hundreds of deaths and wounded, amongst them civilians.
It must be indicated that the PYD with the assistance of the NATO fighter jets gained the city of Ayn al-Arab from the hands of Isis in the end of January 2015. Isis had controlled parts of it from the start of October 2014 following a widespread attack started in September 2014 during which they gained control of around 300 villages that are subordinate to the area of Ayn al-Arab, after confrontations with PYD.
(Reporting by Mohamed al-Hussein; Translation by Rana Abdul)
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