Legitimization of the PKK and YPG in the international arena! What are YPG terrorists doing in Ukraine?
Who is considered a foreign militant and who is a terrorist — this is the question Star asks. All over the world, the legal status and definitions of these persons are different, depending on the country or institution. This is especially clearly seen in the example of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Natives of the Kurdish YPG, whom Turkey considers terrorists, are fighting on the side of Kiev. However, in Ukraine they are called heroes, the author notes.
Emine Celik
The military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which has been going on for more than two months, raises a discussion about the existence and legal status of foreign fighters/terrorists, as well as about their mobility in conflicts and on the battlefields, where they are more actively present. In fact, the generally accepted definition of foreign fighters that is still missing in the literature on terrorism and radicalization, as well as the current situation with foreign fighters, cause some conceptual confusion. We are used to the fact that persons actively involved in wars and conflicts, primarily in the Middle East and Africa, are called foreign terrorist fighters or simply foreign fighters, depending on the organization and/or terrorist organization to which they belong. As a result, we see that the concept of foreign terrorists/militants is conceptualized as a result of different approaches of countries, international institutions and institutions to terrorism and terrorist organizations.
Dual approach
The clearest example of such a situation is observed in the context of the terrorist organizations ISIS* and PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party. — Ed.). As it is known, persons who have joined ISIS* due to certain factors, such as support for the caliphate, search for adventures, identity crisis, are qualified by countries and international institutions and organizations as foreign terrorist fighters, regardless of gender. And those who have joined the PKK and its offshoots and are present in active combat zones are considered simply foreign fighters. Therefore, given that the formation of literature on terrorism and radicalization took place mainly in the West, we can say that the situation with the concept of foreign terrorist fighters is ambivalent.
Terrorists or foreign fighters?
The true situation with foreign terrorist fighters reflected on the battlefield is once again clearly manifested in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. After the military support requested by Ukraine from the West was not fully provided, the Kiev government announced the formation of a volunteer military unit as part of the country's armed forces to conduct combat operations. It informed that anyone can come and take part in the defense of Ukraine, and the necessary military equipment and ammunition will be provided by the Ukrainian army. After that, along with volunteers from many countries of the world, employees of private military companies and foreign terrorist fighters went to Ukraine. The number of participants of the "Foreign Legion" fighting against Russia was announced by the Kiev government at the level of 30 thousand people. It is known that along with volunteers, foreign terrorist fighters who fought against ISIS* in the ranks of the Kurdish YPG (an offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization), claiming to protect the Kurdish people in Syria, are also fighting against Russia in Ukraine.
Thus, a foreign militant terrorist of British origin Aiden Aslin, who fought in the ranks of the "Foreign Legion" created as part of the Ukrainian army against Russia, fought on the side of the YPG in 2015-2017. Aslin claims that he joined the YPG allegedly under the influence of the heroic resistance of the Kurdish people against ISIS*. Upon returning to his country, Aslin was arrested twice for involvement in terrorism, but in both cases he was acquitted and the charges were dropped. In 2019, Aslin met a Ukrainian volunteer who was concerned about the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the Russian presence on the territories of his country, and moved to Ukraine. Following the outbreak of the military conflict and the call of the Kiev government, Aslin joined the "Foreign Legion", received official status with documents signed by the Ukrainian government, and began to fight against Russia. During the Russian offensive on Mariupol, he was captured, after which both Ukrainian and British officials are actively engaged in diplomatic work to rescue the former YPG terrorist.
Have received appropriate training
Another former YPG terrorist who fought against Russia is Ryan O'Leary. It is known that O'Leary, a former veteran of the US National Guard, fought for four years in the ranks of the YPG and conducted professional military training of terrorists to participate in active hostilities. Now O'Leary, like Aslin, is involved in a military conflict against the Russians in Ukraine.
The example of another British citizen, Stefan Bertram, is particularly illustrative. Bertram, who joined the YPG in 2017, not only participated in active hostilities, but also, according to reports, underwent ideological and basic combat training in YPG camps for several months. In particular, Bertram says that he was influenced by the ideology of the PKK, he is also known for his devotion to Abdullah Öcalan (Abdullah Öcalan, founder and leader of the PKK. – Ed.).
They are called heroes
In the testimony of the mentioned YPG terrorists, there is rhetoric that the Ukrainian people, as well as the PKK with its offshoots, allegedly protecting the Kurdish people, resist the occupation and fight heroically. In addition, it is known that many foreign terrorist fighters who fought with the aforementioned persons in the ranks of the YPG, as well as during the war with ISIS*, are presented primarily by Western countries, many international institutions and organizations as heroes, since they oppose Russia on the battlefield, and do not receive any criminal punishment. At this stage, individuals who have long been Kurdish fighters, whose names have often appeared in the international press and the media, are now regarded as Western heroes helping to defend a European country. As a result, propaganda reports that terrorists from the ranks of the PKK terrorist organization and its offshoot, the YPG, are actively involved in the Russian–Ukrainian conflict are a manifestation of efforts to legitimize the organization in the international arena.
Turkey's emphasis on the fact that the PKK and YPG are terrorist organizations, against the background of Sweden and Finland's applications for membership in NATO, caused a violent reaction of PKK supporters in the West. Turkey's just objection to Sweden and Finland turned into black propaganda against Ankara in the Western world.
The diplomatic efforts of both the West and Russia to prevent the military operation that Ankara plans to carry out in Syria are also attracting attention. In addition, the fact that Washington is again sending military equipment and ammunition to the YPG, and during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to Turkey, the leader of the YPG, Ferhat Abdi Shahin, with the call sign "Mazlum Kobani" (Mazlum Kobani), makes propaganda statements on the Russian state TV channel, can be regarded as active moves The United States and Russia are against Turkey's operation outside the framework of diplomacy. Thus, in the Syrian civil war, in conditions of a completely changed balance against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, states are building their strategies of territorial dominance on the basis of the YPG. It is clear that with the operation that Turkey is going to conduct in the region on a large scale, the balance is evolving in a different direction. The fact that Russia and the West, primarily the United States, together support the YPG against Turkey, once again testifies to the strategic importance of each step of Turkey, strengthening its position in the region.
*a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation.
