ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States wants to halt conflict across Syria and does not want new clashes to erupt, a Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) representative in Washington said on Tuesday, as the possibility of a Turkish attack on Syrian Kurds looms.
“Their [US] focus now is to halt these conflicts. They do not want new clashes to erupt. At present, we observe a ceasefire across Syria, with no active fighting,” Sinam Mohamad, the SDC representative to the US, told Rudaw during a televised interview, adding that the people of northeast Syria (Rojava) “want to sustain that ceasefire.”
“Our hope is for the rebuilding of Syria. However, Turkey continues its aggressive stance against the Kurds,” Mohamad said.
Turkey and the Syrian National Army (SNA), which Ankara backs, have prepared to strike the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month. They first moved against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by attacking the northwestern Shahba region, taking Tal Rifaat and Manbij.
The US brokered a four-day ceasefire between the SDF and Turkey last week, which a State Department spokesperson said was extended on Tuesday.
Mohamad said that the State Department’s statement “is positive for now” and hoped that it will be “extended to allow us to address other dimensions, the political dimension, and begin building a new Syria with all Syrians.”
She noted that US President-elect Donald Trump can use his influence over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ensure that the ceasefire persists, and the situation stabilizes before he assumes office in January.
On Tuesday, SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi said they are committed to achieving a “comprehensive” ceasefire across Syria and proposed the establishment of a “demilitarized zone in the city of Kobani, with the redistribution of security forces under US supervision and presence” aiming to address the Turkish security concerns.
Turkey is yet to respond.
