Muslim: ISIS Wants To Break The Ties Between The Cantons

(ANF/Özgür Gündem/OSLO) PYD Co-President Salih Muslim, who is currently in Oslo for a series of meetings with officials from various Kurdish parties and Norwegian, spoke to reporters about the recent suicide attack in Qamişlo, ISIS attacks, and fighting between the YPG and the Syrian regime.

Muslim drew attention to the week-long fighting between the ISIS and the YPG around Kobanê, saying “the ISIS has targeted Kobanê for strategic reasons. Kobanê is positioned between the Cizre and Afrin Cantons. They want to capture Kobanê and break the ties between the two cantons. They then plan to attack an isolated Afrin Canton and control it as well. For that reason a general mobilization was called in Kobanê. The people and the YPG are defending Kobanê side by side.”

The FSA Is Supporting the YPG

Muslim also drew attention to how the fighting was taking place in villages around Kobanê, saying “today I had a telephone meeting with those in the fighting area. The ISIS has lost close to 100 fighters. We have recovered some of the bodies, the rest they are picking up. In this fight the Free Syrian Army is supporting us. The people are on the side of the YPG. The attacks will not accomplish their objective. Victory will be ours.”

The ISIS Has Regime Tanks

Muslim went on to explain that the tanks which the ISIS was using in its attacks were tanks from the Syrian regime, saying “how they got these tanks continues to be disputed.” He also said that the suicide attack carried out by two members of ISIS on March 11 in Qamişlo bore the fingerprints of the regime.

Muslim reminded reporters of the attack the following day by regime forces against the YPG in which one YPG was killed, saying “right after this attack the YPG organized a retaliatory action in which 10 soldiers connected to the regime were killed. The bakery in which the YPG fighter Hesen Qewa was killed was taken from regime forces”