German newspaper FAZ says PKK/YPG's dream of independent entity in Syria has collapsed

2026-01-26 - 22:38

A prominent German newspaper has published an analysis stating that the Syrian Kurdish faction YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization, has seen its dream of an independent quasi-state collapse. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) cited diplomats and experts who argue that the group's survival is no longer feasible, noting, "The dream of an independent semi-state has been exhausted." Loss of Legitimacy and Historical Context The report challenges the YPG's narrative of being "betrayed" while defending a progressive society, stating that this claim has found little resonance. FAZ clarifies that during the 2011 uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Kurds in northeastern Syria largely remained neutral. In exchange for regime withdrawal, the YPG took control, eventually expanding beyond Kurdish-majority areas into Arab regions, seizing oil resources and engaging in trade with the Assad government. PKK Ties and International Criticism The analysis underscores the YPG's organic ties to the PKK, visible through ubiquitous portraits of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. It notes that the United States overlooked these connections, providing the militia with financial and military support. The group's "liberator" image has been severely tarnished by documented human rights abuses. FAZ references Amnesty International's 2015 criticism of forced displacements, alongside EU asylum agency reports of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and the forced recruitment of children by the YPG-led forces.