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Hundreds of armed men, accompanied by political activists, have, over the past two days, crossed into Syrian territory toward Hasakah province from Sulaymaniyah, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's report on Thursday.
Political and security sources in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that some of them belong to the "counterterrorism" units affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani.
The sources said four-wheel-drive vehicles transported the terrorist organization PKK members across the Semalka-Faysh Khabur border crossing, which links Syria with the KRG, as well as through other crossings, including routes via the Tigris and Khabur, in full view of Peshmerga forces affiliated with the Kurdish Regional Government.
According to the same sources, the entry took place without passports or entry visas.
According to sources, the armed men, all coming from the KRG, are volunteering to defend Hasakah. They also said vehicles carrying humanitarian aid crossed into the Syrian side at the same time as these unofficial crossings from Iraq into Syria.
Some of those involved are linked to the "Counter-Terrorism" forces in Sulaymaniyah, a force overseen by Talabani, who in recent days has adopted escalatory rhetoric against Damascus and instructed the use of the term "Western Kurdistan" to refer to areas in northeastern Syria, which are occupied by YPG/SDF.
Al-Thamina TV channel, owned by Talabani and based in Sulaymaniyah, previously aired footage of armed men who arrived in Hasakah days earlier, describing them as "Sulaymaniyah Counter-Terrorism Forces in Western Kurdistan."
The channel also acknowledged, through a series of reports, that the PUK had recently decided to send party leaders to Hasakah.
"The entry of Iraqi Kurds into Syrian areas took place without passports or entry visas," the report says.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also learned from an official at Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Syrian authorities in Damascus informed Baghdad of the need to prevent continued crossings of armed PKK members and civilians through unofficial or illegal routes.
Syria, the official said, also called on Iraq to secure its northern borders and prevent Iraqi armed involvement in the Syrian issue.
He confirmed that the Iraqi government informed the authorities in the Kurdish Region, but said PKK leniency has allowed more crossings to take place.
Previously, Talabani said what is happening in Syria is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately. In a statement, he said the "Kurdish people will not remain silent in the face of violations and that targeting them is unacceptable by all standards."
He also called on the United States and the American people to address the issue “without hesitation and with responsibility” to protect civilians and work toward stability in the region.
Legal and constitutional affairs expert Ahmed Hamid al-Hassani said the crossing of members from the PKK, constitutionally considered Iraqi forces, amounts to a serious constitutional violation.
Reports said that members of the PKK terrorist organization, reportedly, on Jan. 22, crossed from northern Iraq into Syria to reinforce the YPG-SDF.
The Syrian army and the terrorist organization YPG reached a ceasefire on Jan. 24.
Negotiations between the two sides are ongoing, while the 15-day ceasefire is set to expire at 11 p.m. local time (8 p.m. GMT) on Feb. 8.
Syria's military operations directorate issued a warning to terror groups on Jan. 22, saying it is evaluating its next steps after the expiration of an ultimatum to the terrorist group SDF and accusing the group of bringing in reinforcements from PKK terrorists based in Iraq.
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