Turkish security forces bring three PYD militants wishing to surrender from Aleppo to Kilis: Report 

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) and police have brought three female Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) militants, who wished to surrender to the Turkish security forces, from an Aleppo neighborhood controlled by the PYD to Turkey’s southeastern border province of Kilis, daily Habertürk reported on Sept. 21.

The PYD militants were first brought to the Free Syrian Army (FSA)-held town of Azaz located north of Aleppo by the help of local forces before finally being brought to Kilis, having travelled 70 kilometers in one week. 

Kilis police’s anti-terror teams first determined in intelligence analyses that three militants, identified only as M.Y., H.M. and T.B., in Sheikh Maqsood wanted to leave the PYD forces. Kilis police then jointly with MİT members notified the three militants that if they surrendered to Turkish authorities, they would be taken all the way to the Turkish border. But the three women reportedly told the Turkish officials that the PYD had scared them into thinking that Turkish authorities were torturing militants who surrendered. 

Turkish officials then told the militants that if they surrendered, they would stand a trial within the boundaries of the law and benefit from effective remorse law. Following a series of contacts between the two parties, the militants decided to flee the PYD and surrender to Turkish authorities. 

The militants left Sheikh Maqsood – a Kurdish enclave surrounded entirely by territories controlled by the Syrian regime – with the help of local forces, passing through villages north of Aleppo under the control of the regime or the FSA. Later, the women were taken to Azaz before finally being brought to Kilis, where they surrendered to Kilis police. 

The women told the Turkish officials they “regretted” joining the PYD, for which they fought for four years in Syria. They also said many others in the organization had in fact wanted to surrender but were discouraged with claims that Turkey would “torture” them. Following their testimonies, the women were sent to court. 

In a separate incident, Kilis police teams and MİT members were also reported to have previously brought two other PYD militants from the PYD-held Azaz/Parsa mountain area of northern Syria to Turkey. The two militants similarly surrendered to Turkish authorities and had also regretted joining the group after serving for them for five years. 

Meanwhile, airstrikes against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq on Sept. 20 destroyed arms dumps and shelters, the Turkish military had said in a statement.        

The airstrikes targeted the Zap, Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions, the statement on the Turkish Armed Forces’ website said on Sept. 21.     

No further detail was given about the time of the operation but all aircraft was reported to have returned safely.        

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities declared a curfew in 46 neighborhoods and villages in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır as of 5 a.m. of Sept. 21 before beginning a military operation against the PKK, the local governor’s office announced. 

The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office said the curfew was declared for the safety of the civilians and would last until further notice. 

In a separate incident, 10 people were detained on Sept. 20 in 13 operations simultaneously conducted in 10 Istanbul districts, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The suspects are accused of getting PKK militants to Istanbul and having them medically treated, including surgeries, by doctors they work with. Following health checkups, the suspects were taken to a police station to give testimonies.