YPG Spokesperson Nuri Mahmoud said Afrin was evacuated not as a result of any deals, but with the decision of the people of the city who came face to face with genocide: “Our forces also participated in this decision. It was important to move the people to a safe area. The resistance is not over with the exit of our people. Right now, our fight in Afrin continues. Afrin will never be a safe place for invaders. We will continue with our struggle until Afrin is free.”

YPG Spokesperson Nuri Mahmoud spoke to the ANF.

With the population exiting the city center, the Afrin administration announced a new phase in the resistance. Why did the people have to leave the city?

Sultan Erdoğan and his cohorts ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda forces had been going on for two months. Erdoğan failed to achieve results with terrestrial warfare, and resorted to targeting civilians with jets, helicopters, armed UAVs, artilleries and German tanks. He forced the locals to move away. In the face of these attacks, all the peoples of Afrin had to move into Afrin center from the villages at first.

Our fighters carried out successful actions against these terrorist forces every day, but we saw in the latest process that the invasion forces are preparing to enact a genocide. There were constant artillery and fighter jets attacks over the city. Countless women, children and refugees from outside of Afrin fell martyr in these attacks and others lost their homes. The invaders targeted the people’s homes, bakeries, water treatment plants from the beginning. The latest was the targeting of the Avrin Hospital.

So, with the decision of the people of Afrin, the military and political government entered the phase to evacuate civilians from the city and continue to fight the invaders using guerilla tactics. Right now, our fight in Afrin continues. Afrin will never be a safe place for invaders. We will continue with our struggle until Afrin is free.

Of course the invading Turkish state is involved in a serious attempt to change the demographics i the city. That is why they target people who want to return to their homes. For instance, 250 people wanted to return to Jindires but they were targeted by these terrorist forces.

Some media institutions and circles claim the people and your forces withdrew from Afrin as part of a deal, is that true?

The people of Afrin made their own decision, because they were facing genocide. That is why the decision to remove the people of Afrin from the city was completely their own, and our forces comply with this decision. It was important to move the people to a safe area. And the resistance is not over now that the people have exited.

There was a serious fight against ISIS terror that included various global states. Why did Russia aid the Afrin invasion, while the others remained silent?

The Turkish army and these terrorist forces entering Afrin happened with the alliance they built with Russia. Afrin was put on offer in return for Ghouta. And they made natural gas and customs agreements over the straits. The Turks had the air space opened for them, and the Turkish state used the most advanced weapons of NATO, including chemical weapons. There is no doubt that the Erdoğan-led Turkish state is planning something big. And they do admit to it.

What is the big plan or the target you see?

There is no more maps of Syria, Turkey or the Middle East for them. They want to expand their sultanate through Syria and the Middle East by Mongolian methods. In a speech in the Mardin rally, he was talking about how Ottoman territory was reduced from 18 million square kilometers to today’s size, a 970 km border with Syria. This speech shows that he doesn’t want to be satisfied with the current situation anymore.

Don’t international powers, institutions and states realize this?

The Turkish state is using the strategic location of the country against international powers and the institutions they have formed. They use NATO weapons and German tanks. Now, they collect a “jizya”, i.e. a ransom, from the Christian world through Germany in the name of refugees. They threaten to send terrorists to Europe. And Germany pays a ransom to protect themselves from this. Like ISIS used to collect a ransom from Christians in Raqqa and Mosul, Erdoğan is collecting a ransom from the Merkel Government. He attacks the Middle East with the ransom he collects from the Christian world. These lands are held by the terrorist force of Erdoğan and his government. Erdoğan can’t be satisfied with the current situation and wants to expand. He has become a menace for the peoples of the Middle East. The world will receive its fair share from this too. Unfortunately, the states and governments of the world didn’t stand against this terrorism by Erdoğan and his government. International powers are looking to use this strategic location of Turkey for their interests, and to develop their capital over it. The Western world and the Asian and Middle Eastern states have weak policies for the Sultan of Terror Erdoğan, or they lack vision.

How did it affect your fight against ISIS in Deir ez-Zor when ISIS and their architect were placed in Afrin?

When Erdoğan opened a new front in Afrin in a partnership with ISIS, our forces came to the conclusion that ISIS is organizing itself in Afrin today under a Turkish identity. The ones who created Baghdadi and ISIS are fighting in Afrin themselves today. That is why our forces are focusing mainly on fighting ISIS or the true terror. Our forces in Deir ez-Zor now have on their minds ways to defend Afrin and how to fight there, instead of focusing their intellect on Deir ez-Zor. The SDF announced a temporary halt to the Operation Cizire Storm but that doesn’t mean our fight against ISIS is over, we will fight terror until the end.

It is a fact that the war against Afrin has allowed ISIS to organize itself to carry out new attacks. With Turkish Sultan Erdoğan’s help, ISIS is reestablishing itself. Not just in Deir ez-Zor, ISIS now has a new front in Afrin and it has developed. Their attacks against Afrin and their entry was completely terrorist in any case. Those entering Afrin now are terrorists and looters.

The Turkish state constantly threatens Manbij and says that there is YPG presence in Manbij. YPG left the defense of Manbij to the Manbij Military Council after the operation, but the Turkish state creates such a talking point and for some reason nobody says “No, the YPG is not there”.

As the YPG, we freed Manbij from ISIS invasion and liberated the city as per the call issued for us by the people of Manbij, along with the Manbij Military Council and other SDF constituents. Then we left Manbij to its people and their defense to the Manbij Military Council, and we left Manbij.

The claim by Erdoğan and the AKP government that the YPG is still there, that Manbij is governed by Kurds again is absolutely not true. It is a mere excuse to attack Manbij.

Could that happen?

It is not clear whether global governments would sacrifice Manbij to Erdoğan terrorism for their periodic interests or a narrow viewpoint as well. The Turkish state wants to legitimize their future attack against Manbij through the location we discussed earlier and their tools of marketing. If they succeed in Afrin, they won’t stop. They won’t be satisfied with Manbij, with Syria, with the Middle East. They will target Europe and Asia. Everything is fair game for the Turkish state. As such, their sultan Erdoğan can use any and all styles and propaganda outside the realm of morality, international law, and even reality.

What can the peoples of Northern Syria and the Kurds can do?

Kurds, the peoples of Northern Syria and those who wand freedom and democracy in the world should know that we defended the whole world against terrorism with the fight we waged in Northern Syria. Today the founder of terror the Turkish Sultan attacked and invaded Afrin to destroy democracy, freedoms and social consensus. International states and alliances are silent. Societies should discuss this reality with a natural responsibility, and organize themselves in the face of such reality. We say, base yourselves on self organization and defending a free life. We as the YPG will be defending our society to the end, any and everywhere.