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ERBIL, Kurdistan - The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed on Saturday that general commander Mazloum Abdi was in Sulaimani during an alleged Turkish drone attack on the airport the day before.
SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami had initially denied reports that Abdi was the target of a suspected Turkish drone attack. In his statement on Saturday, he said the denial was a deliberate move to ensure Abdi’s safety until he arrived back in northeast Syria (Rojava).
“As part of our emergency security response related to the safety of our forces' command, we deliberately restricted the release of information about the Turkish attack on Sulaymaniyah airport, where our Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, was present,” Shami tweeted.
He added that Abdi is now back in Rojava, is unharmed, and the SDF will provide further details about the attack at a later date.
The drone strike on Friday afternoon was first reported as an explosion near the perimeter of Sulaimani International Airport, causing no casualties. United States officials then confirmed it was a drone strike on US personnel.
“We can confirm there was a strike on a convoy Friday in Sulaymaniyah that included U.S. military personnel. Fortunately, we can also confirm there were no casualties,” US Department of Defence Spokesperson Philip Ventura told Rudaw in an email early Saturday. He did not mention Abdi or speculate who carried out the strike.
Unnamed US officials told the Wall Street Journal that some Western officials suspect Ankara was behind the attack. Abdi himself has also blamed Turkey.
Turkey has denied responsibility. "Turkish armed forces undertook no such activity," a defence ministry source told AFP.
The strike comes a few days after Turkey imposed a three-month flight ban on Sulaimani’s airport because of what Turkey’s foreign ministry dubbed “infiltration” by the PKK in the province.
The ban is believed to be related to a helicopter crash in Duhok province on March 15, killing nine anti-terrorism forces affiliated with the US-backed SDF, including a close relative of Abdi, who were travelling to Sulaimani. Ankara accuses the SDF’s backbone, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of being the Syrian wing of the PKK.
Updated on April 9, 2023 at 10:55am
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