Syria
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighters conducting an anti-ISIS operation in Hasaka on April 20, 2024. File photo: SDF Press
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday that United States-led mediation efforts to reach a “permanent truce” with Turkey over Manbij city have fallen off, accusing the latter of “evasion to accept key points”.
“The US-led mediation efforts to declare a permanent truce in the Manbij and Kobani regions were unsuccessful due to Turkey's approach in dealing with the mediation efforts and its evasion to accept key points,” SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said on X.
The points, according to Shami, included “the transfer of remaining Manbij Military Council fighters and civilians wishing to move to safer areas within north and eastern Syria, as well as the resolution of the issue concerning the transfer of Suleiman Shah's remains to their former location.”
On Wednesday, Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that they had reached a ceasefire deal with the Syrian National Army (SNA), a Turkey-backed militia group, over the northern city of Manbij through US mediation.
Turkey-backed opposition militia groups launched an offensive against the SDF in the northwestern region of Shahba late last month, controlling it days later. They also took over Manbij city earlier this week which Kurdish fighters had liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2016.
The development comes amid historic changes in Syria as a coalition of militia groups led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad last week.
The SNA has said that their attempt to take Manbij is part of the code-named Operation Dawn of Freedom, which was launched late last month in Tal Rifaat, forcing the SDF-linked fighters to withdraw from the town.
The US-backed SDF has said that Turkey has been supporting the militants from the air.
“The US-led mediation efforts to declare a permanent truce in the Manbij and Kobani regions were unsuccessful due to Turkey's approach in dealing with the mediation efforts and its evasion to accept key points,” SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said on X.
The points, according to Shami, included “the transfer of remaining Manbij Military Council fighters and civilians wishing to move to safer areas within north and eastern Syria, as well as the resolution of the issue concerning the transfer of Suleiman Shah's remains to their former location.”
Update
— Farhad Shami (@farhad_shami) December 16, 2024
The US-led mediation efforts to declare a permanent truce in the Manbij and Kobani regions were unsuccessful due to Turkey's approach in dealing with the mediation efforts and its evasion to accept key points. These points included the transfer of remaining Manbij Military…
On Wednesday, Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that they had reached a ceasefire deal with the Syrian National Army (SNA), a Turkey-backed militia group, over the northern city of Manbij through US mediation.
Turkey-backed opposition militia groups launched an offensive against the SDF in the northwestern region of Shahba late last month, controlling it days later. They also took over Manbij city earlier this week which Kurdish fighters had liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2016.
The development comes amid historic changes in Syria as a coalition of militia groups led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad last week.
The SNA has said that their attempt to take Manbij is part of the code-named Operation Dawn of Freedom, which was launched late last month in Tal Rifaat, forcing the SDF-linked fighters to withdraw from the town.
The US-backed SDF has said that Turkey has been supporting the militants from the air.
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