By now we've heard about the allegations pinning ethnic cleansing and the burning of Arab homes to Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), alarming the international community that hailed the fighters for their victories against Daesh (ISIS).
Here's the jist of the statement, released by 15 regional groups:
Forces of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units “YPG” that belong to the Democratic Union Party “PYD” conducted ethnic cleansing against the Arab and Turkish Sunnis in villages of northern Hasakah and Tal Abyad, under air coverage of the coalition forces that contribute airstrikes to terrorize civilians and force them to leave their villages.
This step came to a plan of division … a step that would be catastrophic to the future of Syria and the region.
The allegations allude to more than just targeting Arabs — there's also a fear for the Kurdish state. So what are people afraid of?
The Kurds have been an oppressed ethnic population, and they've been fighting for their own "Kurdistan" for decades. In the midst of fighting, Syria's vulnerability could open up possibilities for a community struggling for recognition.
Gaining territory for them might mean the beginning of the end of their struggle, and a divided Syria.
