Riyadh, Ankara Call on Al-Qaeda to Declare War on Syrian Kurds

 (FNA)- Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ordered Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Syria to target Syrian Kurds after the latter renewed allegiance to the Damascus government and declared strong opposition to Ankara's plan for the Kurdish population in the region, media reports said.

The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups, the al-Nusra Front and the Sham and Iraq Islamic Emirate, have already started their attacks on the Kurdish regions of Aleppo after Saudi and Turkish governments asked them to do so, the Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper reported.

The Takfiri and al-Qaeda groups are trying to bring the Kurdish regions of Northeastern Syria under their control by getting rid of the Kurdish militias.

The attacks against the Syrian Kurds came after Ahmad al-Jarba, president of the Syrian National Coalition called for participation of Kurdish representatives in the upcoming Geneva II Conference.

Last month, a main Syrian Kurdish group issued a call to battle extremist militants in the country after an eminent Kurdish politician was killed in a car bomb attack.

“We call on the Kurdish people... to step forward... . Anyone fit to bear arms should join the ranks of the Committees to protect the Kurdish People (YPG) and repel the assaults of these armed groups,” said a recently released YPG statement.

According to a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the politician identified as Isa Huso was assassinated outside his house in the Syrian town of Al-Qamishli late in July.

The statement also slammed the foreign-sponsored opposition groups in the country, the so-called Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army (FSA), saying "Despite our repeated calls …..to date, these parties have failed to take a clear position," the statement said.

This comes while Kurdish fighters, who are opposed to foreign interference in Syria, have been battling foreign-backed militants in the North in recent months.

On July 21, Kurdish fighters took control of a key checkpoint controlled by al-Qaeda-linked militants and seized light weapons, ammunition, a vehicle mounted with a heavy machine gun, and a mortar launcher.

On July 17, Kurdish fighters also took control of the town of Ras al-Ain in the border province of Hasakah.

The unrest in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following intervention of western and regional states.

Many Syrians who sided with the opposition at start of the protests have now turned to side with the government and the army to defend their country against foreign-backed extremists.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions of others displaced in the violence.