ALEPPO, Syria 

Usama Muslim, nephew of YPG/SDF terrorist ringleader Salih Muslim, said Syrian army operations in Aleppo could extend to northern parts of the country due to the group’s failure to engage in the integration and negotiation process.

Speaking to Anadolu, Usama Muslim said recent military steps taken by Syrian forces in Aleppo were driven by the YPG/SDF’s reluctance to respond to calls for dialogue and political accommodation.

Operations could expand north

He said developments linked to Türkiye’s ongoing “terror-free process" were being followed closely and had shown positive progress, but that similar efforts had not been reflected on the Syrian front.

“We believe the peace process should not be limited to Türkiye but should also be carried out in all areas under PKK control,” Muslim said. “So far, we have not seen serious political will in this regard, which has pushed the Syrian government to take action in the Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.”

PKK is a terrorist organization that killed at least 40,000 people in a decades-long terror campaign in Türkiye and the YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

Muslim said the operations could later expand to areas such as Deir Hafer, Tabqa and Ayn al-Arab, attributing this possibility to YPG/SDF’s lack of sincerity toward peace and negotiations.

Muslim said the terrorist organization YPG/SDF had previously maintained close coordination with the former Assad regime, and its structure in Aleppo consisted of YPG, YPJ and SDF elements and that it has controlled predominantly Kurdish areas since the early stages of the Syrian conflict.

The YPJ is the terror group’s women’s wing.

He recalled that Kurds were broadly part of the Syrian uprising in its early stages and took part in the fronts against the regime. However, he said local populations in Kurdish-majority areas, including Ayn al-Arab, Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maqsoud, were not given space to organize, and protests were quickly suppressed.

'We support the Syrian revolution, not PKK, YPG or YPJ'

Muslim said political and civil activity in YPG/SDF-held areas required the group’s approval and that dissenters faced detention, interrogation and pressure. He said he and others had attempted to operate in Kurdish areas but were later blocked.

He said his last face-to-face meeting with his uncle Salih Muslim took place before the Syrian uprising, with limited phone contact during its early phase. He said relations deteriorated once it became clear that they followed different political paths.

“Our position was clear,” he said. “We support the Syrian revolution, not the PKK, YPG or YPJ.”

'Next phase should focus on building a unified Syria'

Calling on Kurdish youth not to be drawn into further conflict, Muslim said political disputes should be resolved through dialogue rather than armed confrontation.

“The army here is the Syrian army, and Kurdish youth are also sons of this country,” he said. “Political disagreements are resolved through negotiations, not war.”

Muslim said the war era ended with the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and that the next phase should focus on peace, reconciliation and building a unified Syria.