The World Council of Arameans (WCA) published a press release on its webpage stating that the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the People’s Protection Units (YPG), continues to conscript young Syriacs, also known as Assyrians or Arameans, against their will.
"YPG militias seized 50 persons on May 16 in Qamishli and sent them to training camps, against their will, in order to place them in battle zones. Among them were five Arameans: Basil Lahdo, Issa Kuriakos, Adam Koki, Petros Amin and Dani Mkhaylia,” the WCA said.
“Following intense negotiations between YPG and local Arameans, they agreed on May 25 that YPG would release these innocent youths. However, YPG did not uphold the agreement and, in addition, kidnapped four more youths the following morning. Finally, after much exhorted pressure on YPG, owing to silent diplomacy, seven Arameans were freed,” it added.
The YPG terror group is known for targeting minorities and forcefully conscripting youths.
“Mobilizing its armed and security forces, PYD is eyeing for the Christian quarters in Qamishli [Syria]. They regard this city as the capital of their self-proclaimed autonomous region that is propagated as Rojava (‘West Kurdistan’) and governed under a self-declared constitution,” the WCA said.
An Aramean leader who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons said: “Their ultimate goal is clear. They intend to frighten us with the aim of driving us out of our homeland so that they can take over our houses, businesses and lands.”
WCA President Johny Messo strongly condemned the YPG’s terror, saying: “These ongoing intimidations, threats, kidnappings, coerced recruitments and confiscation of property and land are a clear message to the indigenous populations. The armed YPG militias and their security forces are clearly violating the human rights of a vulnerable minority, tacitly cleansing this region from the Arameans. We demand a direct end to their abuse of power. Furthermore, we call upon the U.S. and other countries supporting PYD/YPG to stop empowering them.”
The PYD and its military YPG wing are Syrian branches of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years and is listed as a terror organization by turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
The U.S. has provided the PYD YPG, with close to 4,000 trucks containing weapons to reportedly use against the fight with Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that they are offshoots of the PKK.
