Kurdish Party Said to be Fighting Alongside the FSA in Aleppo
01/11/2012 RUDAW By SAKAR ABDULLAZADA – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish Freedom Party is rejecting claims that its forces fought alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA) against the People’s Defense Unit (YPG) during clashes last Friday.
Kawa Azizi, a senior leader of the Kurdish Freedom Party and its representative in the Kurdistan Region, told Rudaw, “We strongly reject any claims that indicate the participation of our forces during the clashes between the FSA and YPG.” “The Kurdish Freedom Party in Syria has no connection with the FSA and we have no armed forces in the FSA,” he added.
The clashes broke out when FSA forces entered Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. YPG military units have been protecting the Kurdish neighborhoods in Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafia. The YPG announced that they had killed 19 FSA fighters and captured a number of others. Last Sunday, Sipan Hamo, commander in chief of the YPG, announced that they had evidence that the Kurdish Freedom Party assisted the FSA.
He also revealed that among the FSA dead, seven were Kurdish Freedom Party’s members. Aziz said that some members have been obligated to fight alongside the FSA in areas where the battle continues between the FSA and the Syrian army. “Many Kurdish soldiers who are affiliated with the Kurdistan Freedom Party have joined the FSA,” he said. “The Salahuddin Ayubi brigade is made up of Kurdish soldiers who are affiliated with the Kurdistan Freedom Party and other Kurdish parties in Syrian Kurdistan.”Azizi added, “If any Kurdish Freedom Party members participated in the clashes between the FSA and YPG in Aleppo, it was their own decision — not the party’s.” The YPG military commander threatened to take action against the Kurdish Freedom Party if it didn’t have a legitimate explanation for the incident.