On November 20, Turkey launched a series of airstrikes against the Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, in Syria, and then Turkish threats to launch a ground attack also increased, despite Washington’s refusal. , which supports the Kurds and Moscow, the main supporter of Damascus.
“We asked them to stop the Turkish attacks,” said Abdi, who met with the commander of Russian forces in Syria, Alexander Chaiko, at Qamishli military airport on Saturday, stressing that “what is clear so far is that the Turks insist at the launch of the ground operation.”
Abdi, who has long criticized his ally Washington’s “weak” stance, added: “There needs to be a stronger, deterrent stance from all parties involved in this dossier.”
Abdi warned that if Turkey implements its threats, “we will be forced to widen the circle of war” to include the entire Syrian border, saying: “It will be a battle for existence for us.”
As happened during the previous Turkish attacks, Moscow plays the role of mediator. In 2019, it reached an agreement to deploy Syrian regime forces in Kurdish-controlled border areas to stop an attack in which Ankara seized control of a 120-kilometre border strip. Russian forces have also been deployed to the area to conduct patrols.
Abdi explained that “what is being discussed now is the commitment of the parties to the 2019 agreements”, saying: “We have no problem with increasing the number of government forces”.
The SDF support Damascus for its hitherto “weak” position with respect to attacks and threats from Turkey.
In response to a question about his forces’ approval of the return of government institutions to threatened areas, Abdi said, “This is related to reaching a political solution with the government in Damascus.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has identified the objectives of the new ground operation, which are the areas of Tal Rifaat (north of Aleppo), Manbij (northeast of Aleppo) and Kobani (north of Raqqa), within the framework of its broader goal of establishing what it calls a “safe zone” at a depth of 30 kilometers.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched three military operations targeting mainly Kurdish fighters and, with its loyal Syrian factions, has taken control of a large border area.
The intensity of Turkish air strikes eased last week, although marching shelling continued intermittently and the area witnessed an exchange of artillery fire between the two sides.
About ten days ago, Turkish attacks killed 75 people, including ten civilians, and most of them were fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces and its affiliated formations and regime forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . Eight civilians were also killed in artillery shelling that targeted Turkish territory and Ankara-controlled areas in Syria.
