Gharib Hasu, a leader from the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD. Photo: PYD

KOBANI, Syrian Kurdistan,— The representative of Syrian pro-Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria) stated that Peshmerga forces affiliated with the Iraqi Kurdistan’s Massoud Barzani are fighting against the PYD’s military wing, the Kurdish YPG forces in Jerablus, northern Syria.

Gharib Hasu told Kurdpress that Barzani-led Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has a close relation with Turkey ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in order to fight against Kurdish struggle in Syria.

He went on to add that Barzani and Syria’s Kurdish National Council KNC (ENKS) have sent a group of Peshmerga fighters to Rojava (the way Kurds call their regions in northern Syria).

ENKS, an affiliate of Massoud Barzani and also backed by Turkish government, is a coalition of 12 small Syrian Kurdish parties and known to have developed an oppositional stance against PYD as the group became more dominant in Syrian Kurdistan over time.

The forces are in the ranks of Free Syria Army and are fighting against the PYD, but their language is Kurdish, adding that if the issue is confirmed it would be a great treason against Syrian Kurds, he added.

Turkey launched an unprecedented cross-border offensive into Syria, dubbed “Euphrates Shield,” last week, saying it was aimed at ridding the frontier of both Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia to prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG fighters from seizing more territory along the Turkish border.

While the PYD has accused the KNC of working for foreign agendas and Turkey, the KNC has accused the PYD of working with the Syrian regime.

Barzani’s KDP which opposite the ruling PYD party doesn’t recognize the autonomous Kurdish government in Syrian Kurdistan. Political experts say Massoud Barzani, sees Syrian Kurdistan as potential political competition.

the PYD has accused the KDP [which leads Iraqi Kurdistan] of imposing an embargo on Syria’s Kurdish region [Rojava] by closing its borders on behalf of Turkey.

Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces taking control of territory that lies between autonomous cantons of Syrian Kurdistan to the east and west that they already hold, and so creating an unbroken Kurdish- controlled corridor on Turkey’s southern border.

Syrian Kurds have established three autonomous zones, or Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria) in 2013.  On March 17, 2016 Syria’s Kurds declared a federal region in Syrian Kurdistan.

Source: http://ekurd.net/barzani-affiliated-forces-syria-2016-08-31