SDF commander says ‘impossible’ to lay down arms now

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The chief of an all-woman force within the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has rejected Turkey’s call to lay down their arms, saying it is “impossible” to make such a risky move while facing security threats.

“We are under attack. This makes it impossible for us to lay down our arms. The SDF is a force with ten years of experience fighting ISIS. At the international level, it is supported by the Coalition,” Rohilat Afrin, commander-in-chief of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), told the Rojava Information Center in an interview published on Friday. 

YPJ, which is the all-woman wing of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), has played a key role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) over the last decade. The YPG is the backbone of the SDF, a key ally of the United States-led global coalition against ISIS.

Since last month, the SDF has been fighting off an offensive by Turkish-backed Syrian militias. There are also concerns about a possible ISIS resurgence after a coalition of rebel groups, spearheaded by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in a blistering offensive last month. 

Afrin accused Ankara of trying to influence the new rulers in Damascus away from coordinating with the Kurdish administration and forces in the northeast (Rojava).

“Turkey refuses to accept the Autonomous Administration as a model and idea. Turkey also does not accept the SDF as an army. It is imposing this on the new government. This also means the YPJ is not accepted - the YPJ, which fought against ISIS, achieved significant gains, and is at the core of the Autonomous Administration,” she said.

As Syria’s transitional government attempts to establish a new army, there are calls from Damascus and Western countries for the SDF to be included in the new security apparatus. 

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has announced that the new Syrian army will also include the SDF. The two sides held their first meeting in recent days, discussing the future of the SDF and Rojava. 

SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has said that they are ready to be integrated into Syria’s new security apparatus. 

He told Sky News Arabia in an interview published on Friday that when they formed the SDF in 2015 they announced their intention to be part of Syria’s future defense ministry.

“Now as long as there is a process of building a new Syrian army, we will be part of this process,” he said. 

Turkey, which appears to have strong leverage with the new government in Damascus, has insisted that the YPG and YPJ lay down their arms. 

"With the Syrian opposition liberating Damascus, the separatist terrorists have been absolutely trapped. Currently, they are looking for new bosses for themselves," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an event in Aydin province on Friday.

"They only have two choices ahead of them. Either they will repent from terrorism and lay down their arms, or they will not be able to avoid being purged," he added.