Thousands of people gathered in North and East Syria for the upcoming anniversary of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s capture and imprisonment in 1999. They also protested the military operation launched by Turkey against PKK forces in Garê.
PKK leader Öcalan who has been held in the İmrali F-type High Security Prison in Turkey for 22 years. Since Öcalan capture, Kurdish people mark the anniversary every year.
On 9 February Turkey launched a military campaign against PKK forces located in the Garê region in Iraqi Kurdistan. The gathered protestors condemned the operation and expressed their support for PKK forces.