PYD Leader says Kurds will defeat ISIS in Kobani: Interview

Interview by Abdullah Al Ghadawi; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- The head of Democratic Union Party (PYD), in brief interview with Zaman al-Wasl, promised to defeat the Islamic State group in the border town of Kobani within short time, denying any cooperation with Syrian regime to get arms.

Salih Muslim Mohammed said that Kobani had never been occupied by the Islamic State group in to announce its liberation.

“The matter is that Kobani was attacked by fighters of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and soon they would be defeated,” Muslim added.

Muslim has denied the reports saying that about 70% of Kobani is under ISIS control, saying that fighters from the Kurdish people’s Protection Units (YPG) have surrounded the Islamic state’s fighters.

In regard to the relations with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) the head of (PYD) explains that he does not think that FSA is a traditional army and it is a group of fighting battalions, once even al-Nusra Front and ISIS were among those battalions.  “but that does not mean the lack of battalions which believe in liberated democratic Syria, like the North’s Sun and Liberals of al-Raqqa, which we communicate and cooperate with,” he added that even Colonel Akaidi was not clear about that fact, but he thinks he had re-thought about previous attitudes.”

PYD leader denied any co-operation with the Syrian regime, and requested anyone accuses them of that to bring a proof. “We have fought the Syrian regime since 2004, and we are not soldiers for others”

In regard to arming, he confirms that PYD provides arms from the black market, and fund is generated from Kurdish people.

In his talk to Zaman al-Wasl he reveals that about 150-160 fighters from Bishmarka who are expert in anti-armors and anti-tanks, came to Kobani, and their final number would be determined by the leaderships in Iraqi Kurdistan and them.

About their relation with Turkey and its attitude toward what has happened in Kobani, he reveals that they did not ask for any help from Turkey, however all they want from it to stop the flow of ISIS’s fighters through its land.

He explains that historically Turkey has Kurd’s Phobia, because of that they do their best to prevent the Kurds from getting their own identity and territory.

In regard to the query about the plans with the FSA to help them in their battle in Aleppo once Kobani is liberated, he insisted that PYD fights where the Kurds’ benefits are, not according to others plans, as they are not paid-fighters or mercenaries.