SDF chief says monitoring casualty reports in Raqqa

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said early on Friday that they are monitoring reports of casualties in northern Raqqa and pledged transparency amid allegations that the SDF opened fire on civilians.

“The people of Raqqa deserve a dignified and secure life and we will spare no effort to achieve this goal. We promise to take transparent and practical steps to address the current situation, ensuring that your voices are heard and considered in every decision made,” the SDF chief said.

In Raqqa on Thursday, civilians were celebrating raising the flag of the revolution when at least one person was fatally shot and several others were injured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The SDF has denied responsibility.

“Some media outlet claimed false info regarding the celebrations of raising the independent flag in #Raqqah today saying that internal security forces have fired at the locals during the celebrations,” SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said on X.

Shami shared videos of a protestor firing a weapon purportedly during celebrations in Raqqa.

The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) decided on Thursday to raise the flag of the revolution across institutions in its territories.

With the rapid offensive by Syrian rebels leading to the fall of Assad’s regime and the capture of Damascus, Kurdish forces have significantly expanded their territory, taking control of most of the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor province and other Arab-majority areas. The SDF is accused of suppressing protests in areas under its control.

The force is also battling a renewed offensive by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which has taken control of Shahba north of Aleppo and the strategic city of Manbij that Kurdish fighters liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2016.

The SNA has also attacked Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates River south of Manbij. Kurdish officials have warned that damage to the dam could lead to a disaster.

Because of the attacks, the SDF has suspended all operations against ISIS, which has taken advantage of a security vacuum left by withdrawing regime troops to seize territory in the deserts of central Syria.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke with General Abdi and expressed Washington’s support for the SDF.

“It is in the United States' best interest to maintain this strong alliance… in order to prevent the resurgence of ISIS. The United States should not allow Turkish-backed militants to attack the SDF with impunity and should push for a sustained ceasefire to support our allies and regional security,” read a statement from the American senator on Friday.

The SDF and HTS have an agreement that allows the Kurdish-led force to retain control over their areas in the northeast and the SDF are preparing to send a delegation to Damascus to meet with the new authorities in the capital.

Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the HTS launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, and culminating their victory by capturing the capital Damascus as rebels said Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.