SDF chief urges Damascus to ‘bear responsibility’ for Kurdish civilian deaths

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi on Monday urged Syria’s interim government to “bear its responsibility” for the deaths of Kurdish civilians killed in an airstrike in north Syria earlier in the day.

“The interim government must bear its responsibilities for the killing of its citizens by other countries," Abdi said, extending his condolences “to the families of the innocent victims who lost their lives in the Turkish bombing of an entire family.”

The SDF commander slammed the strike as a “crime against humanity.”

The SDF said that at least nine members from a single family were killed in the airstrike, which rocked the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane in northern Syria. Kobane holds prominence for being the scene where Kurdish fighters, backed by the US, famously repelled an Islamic State (ISIS) assault in 2015.

The incident notably follows a landmark agreement between Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Abdi last week to integrate all civil and military institutions in the Kurdish-majority northeast Syria into state institutions. The deal also included a commitment to implement a nationwide ceasefire.

Abdi emphasized that a ”ceasefire across Syria has become an absolute necessity for the success of the transitional phase toward a stable and secure Syria,” stressing that it is the responsibility of the Syrian leadership in Damascus to address foreign attacks.

“We also urge the [US-led] global coalition [against ISIS] and the influential actors to take action against these attacks,” the SDF chief concluded.

The latest airstrike comes as the SDF has since mid-March reported that Turkey and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) have “intensified attacks” on Kobane and key infrastructure in northern Syria.

The SDF notably blamed Ankara and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army for a spate of attacks on Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge since December, when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime after taking Damascus.

The dam's strategic location is critical for Turkey and the SNA, as its capture could pave the way for an advance into other parts of the Kurdish-majority northeast Syria (Rojava).

For its part, Turkey ties its military operations in SDF-held regions to its view of the People's Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF - as the Syrian front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group that has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with the Turkish state.

Of note, the SDF has served as a primary ground partner to the US-led coalition in the fight against ISIS. Last month, Washington said it brokered a ceasefire between the SDF and Ankara.

However, Turkey has denied agreeing to the deal and clashes have continued between the SDF, the Turkish forces, and SNA forces.