Mass grave of PKK/YPG victims found in Syria: Turkish defence ministry

The discovery adds to the accusations that the terrorist group has committed war crimes.

YPG/PKK terror group has not just targeted Turkish forces but also attacked civilians inside Syria for years.
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YPG/PKK terror group has not just targeted Turkish forces but also attacked civilians inside Syria for years.

A mass grave containing the bodies of 35 people killed by the PKK/YPG terrorist group has been found in Syria's Afrin district, Turkish defence ministry said. 

Excavations are still ongoing at the site and there's a possibility that more dead bodies can be unearthed in an area that was under the control of YPG/PKK terrorists until Turkish forces pushed them out in 2018. 

READ MORE: Several killed in terrorist attack in northern Syria 

“Another war crime of the terrorist organisation PKK/YPG came to the light,” the ministry said in a tweet on Wednesday.

YPG, which masquerades as a group that fought Daesh, faces numerous accusations of assassinations, bombings and other attacks against civilians. 

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The Turkish defence ministry said excavation was carried out at an empty plot in an Afrin neighbourhood where PKK/YPG terrorists had buried victims in January 2018. 

READ MORE: US should end support to YPG, says Turkey

“35 bodies were found in sacks following the excavation conducted under the supervision of a prosecutor,” the statement said. 

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a series of successful anti-terror operations — Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019) — across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable settlements for Syrian refugees.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the far-left PKK, which is listed as a terror organisation by Turkey, the US, and EU, has killed nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

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