YPG Says Turkish Army Used Chemical Weapons In Afrin

On February 6, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) accused the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) of using shells containing chlorine gas in the Bulbul district in the Syrian area of Afrin. In turn, the YPG released own statement saying that the Turksih Army was the side that used chemical weapons. According to the YPG, the Turkish military accidentally shelled allied FSA fighters.

The statement released by the YPG’s media wing (source):

The occupying Turkish state and the terrorist groups under their control claim that chemical weapons were used by the YPG in order to fabricate a cover for their fiasco in the north of Afrin.

On the contrary, the Turkish army, which suffered heavy blows during our operations in the Şêkurzê area, bombed the area with artillery shells from chemical weapons. Our forces moved to high points after being subjected to the effects of the weapon during conflict, and the Turkish-backed terrorists left on the ground were affected by the weapon themselves. As the People’s Defense Units, we feel the need to reiterate that we have no basis other than the legitimate line of defense against the fascist attacks on our lands and on our people. We condemn the use of these and similar weapons no matter where and whoever it is used by.

We find it beneficial to express once again that the occupying Turkish state and their terrorists have not had the strength to fight against our forces on the ground, and that they have tried to conceal their defeat with such ugly smearing.

These accusations each against other is a part of the ongoing propaganda standoff between the YPG and the Turkish government. The YPG seeks to gan support of the international community, while the Turksih authorities push own agenda saying that the Kurdish militia is a terrorist group, the local branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).