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When fighting erupted between the Syrian army and the YPG-dominated SDF in Aleppo, propaganda machinery was set in motion.
Ranging from the potential massacre of thousands of Kurds to portraying the Syrian army as a bunch of Daesh thugs, the propaganda was intense, illogical, and hysterical.
But now, the YPG has reached a deal with Damascus that sees their integration into the Syrian state. So the question arises: How can people who believed the propaganda reconcile that propaganda with the recent reality?
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the YPG-dominated SDF and the Syrian government have reached several agreements. The latest deal, covering the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli and the integration of military forces, builds on an earlier agreement signed on Jan. 18.
That Jan. 18 agreement called for a ceasefire and the integration of SDF members and institutions into the Syrian state. Despite the deal, the group continued to commit violations. The SDF is dominated by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group.
When the SDF-affiliated Asayish Forces fought against the Syrian army in Aleppo city's Kurdish neighborhoods, PKK/YPG-affiliated propaganda tools claimed that 400,000 Syrian Kurds were in danger of mass killing.
They even managed to insert this number into a report available on the website of OCHA. By using this massively exaggerated figure, the propaganda machinery distorted reality.
However, with the quick fall of the Kurdish neighborhoods, the propaganda failed to achieve any tangible political results. Still, Kurds who lacked expertise on Syria and believed these claims were left on their own to comprehend what had actually happened.
When clashes spilled over into northeastern Syria, the propaganda machinery continued. But this time, it was no longer only PKK/YPG-affiliated outlets and individuals.
Iraqi Kurdish media outlets, led by Rudaw, joined the propaganda train. The propaganda machine claimed that there was an attack against Kurds by thugs and Daesh militants.
The Iraqi Kurdish media, while being relatively more professional, echoed that sentiment. Blatant lies were widely circulated. For example, the Kurdish Red Crescent claimed that five Syrian Kurdish children froze to death.
This fabrication was repeated without any verification by Kurdish outlets like Rudaw. Rudaw even labeled the recitation of Surah al-Anfal of the holy Quran as a reference to Saddam Hussein's Anfal campaign against Iraqi Kurds.
Kurds worldwide were called upon to show solidarity with their fellow kin amid the ongoing threat of a mass massacre.
For anyone believing the propaganda, the picture looked grim, as most still recall the horrific crimes of Daesh. Imagining that innocent Kurds would be massacred by Daesh is indeed very disturbing.
However, the reality was very different. In reality, the Syrian army was liberating Syrian Arab areas from the YPG, areas that had no presence of Syrian Kurds. Civilians went out into the streets in large numbers to celebrate their freedom from the YPG.
Furthermore, the situation on the ground was actually the opposite. The YPG killed dozens of innocent Syrian Arab civilians, boasted about their deaths, and executed prisoners en masse.
Imagining being someone who believed every piece of propaganda from the PKK/YPG is quite difficult.
Initially, they thought that Daesh militants were massacring Kurds in Syria, and now they hear that Syrian Kurds have reached a deal to integrate into the Syrian state.
How should or can they accept the deal made by the YPG's leader, Mazloum Abdi?
The propaganda machinery did a disservice to everyone, including the YPG itself. Now, if the YPG truly wants to implement the integration deal, they have to come clean and tell their audience the truth.
If they do not tell the truth and continue to insist on the propaganda, it may be an indicator of the YPG's intentions.
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