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The PYD's Separatist Project

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The PYD’s Separatist Project in the Syrian Euphrates Region Abdullah Al-Najjar Political research Harmoon Center For Contemporary Studies Hermon Center for Contemporary Studies is a non-profit organization, focused mainly on producing studies and research on the Syrian situation, implementing and managing projects, activities and initiatives to rebuild Syria on the foundations of democracy, freedom, social justice, human rights, human dignity and equal citizenship values. For Contacts: e-mail: [email protected] Harmoon Center For Contemporary Studies The PYD’s Separatist Project in the Syrian Euphrates Region January 2020 Abdullah Al-Najjar Authors This study was conducted by Abdullah Al-Najjar, with the help of former col- leagues and acquaintances who assisted him in collecting and verifying the infor- mation. Three of them had submitted three background papers: two on education, and one on the oil issue. In light of the positions of these individuals where they live, we will not be disclosing their names, but would like to thank them very much. Abdullah Al-Najjar is a former officer at the Political Security Directorate, with a degree in law. He worked in Hasakeh Province for 12 years, including nine and a half years in Qamishli district, as an assistant and head of the Qamishli police station, and head of the Amuda police station. He defected from the Political Se- curity Directorate in 2012 with the rank of major. He currently works in the field of studies and research related to east of the Euphrates, and on issues related to security and the military. Harmoon Center For Contemporary Studies Contents CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................5 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................5 Background on the Kurdish issue in Syria: ........................................................................................................5 Background on the relationship between the Assad regime and the PKK from the 1980’s until 1998 and the transformation after 2010: ......................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER II: ALLIANCE BETWEEN SYRIAN REGIME AND PYD ................................12 On Syria’s PYD and Turkey’s PPK: .................................................................................................................12 Impact of PKK’s sectarian tendencies and the Alawite issue in Turkey ..........................................................15 How the regime brought the PYD to Syria and used it to suppress the uprising: ............................................22 PDY’s role in the regime’s strategy to suppress the uprising: ...........................................................................24 The regime’s support for the PYD: ..................................................................................................................25 The so-called “July 19 Revolution”: ................................................................................................................26 The relationship between the regime and the PYD and their changing roles: .................................................28 PYD’s role in controlling Kurdish areas and preventing them from participating in the uprising: .................32 The Kurds’ ambiguous position on the uprising: .............................................................................................32 CHAPTER III: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE US-PYD RELATIONSHIP ........................35 US attempts with the FSA: ...............................................................................................................................35 The US’s reliance on the YPG: ........................................................................................................................37 Was the Ayn al-Arab/Kobane battle a conspiracy? ..........................................................................................40 The evolution of US support after the Ayn al-Arab/Kobane battle: .................................................................42 The establishment of the SDF and the kickoff of limitless support: ................................................................43 Military cooperation only or was politics at play? ...........................................................................................45 What happened after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria? .......................................50 Linking east and west of the Euphrates: ...........................................................................................................52 What does the PYD want? ...............................................................................................................................53 The US’s role in negotiations between the regime and the Kurdish self-administration: ................................54 Turkey’s central position: .................................................................................................................................55 Why the US relied on the SDF: ........................................................................................................................56 Notes and outcomes: ........................................................................................................................................58 CHAPTER IV: THE DEMOGRAPHIS STATUS OF EAST OF THE EUPHRATES .............60 The national and religious distribution of the population of east of the Euphrates: ........................................60 Hasakeh province: ............................................................................................................................................61 Harmoon Center For Contemporary Studies East of the Euphrates population: .....................................................................................................................64 The real population of east of the Euphrates in 2010: ......................................................................................66 Displaced Syrians in the Kurdistan region: ......................................................................................................67 Current population of east of the Euphrates: ....................................................................................................67 The PYD’s policies towards residents: Displacement, and preventing residents from returning to their areas: 69 The practice of displacement: ..........................................................................................................................69 Preventing residents from returning: ................................................................................................................72 CHAPTER V: THE MILITARY SITUATION .........................................................................74 Composition of the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces”: .............................................................................74 Estimated SDF number of members .................................................................................................................75 Our approximate estimates of the actual numbers of the SDF troops ...............................................................79 People’s Protection Units: .................................................................................................................................80 YPG within urban areas: ...................................................................................................................................81 The police force (Asayish) ................................................................................................................................82 Al-Sanadid Forces: ...........................................................................................................................................83 The Syriac Military Council forces: ..................................................................................................................83 Number of SDF troops in Deir ez-Zor Province: ..............................................................................................84 Number SDF troops in Manbij, Raqqa and Ayn al-Arab: .................................................................................84 Total number of SDF troops: .............................................................................................................................84 Arab affiliation with SDF: .................................................................................................................................84 YPG’ death toll ..................................................................................................................................................85 SDF payroll: ......................................................................................................................................................86 Armament of SDF troops: .................................................................................................................................87 Foreign troops in the East of the Euphrates: ....................................................................................................87 CHAPTER VI: INSTITUTIONS OF
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