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Syria
From left: anti-ISIS coalition logo and the portraits of YAT fighters who were killed in Duhok helicopter crash on March 15, 2023.
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on Saturday extended its condolences over the recent deaths of nine fighters from a northeast Syria (Rojava) counterterrorism force who were killed when their helicopters crashed in Duhok.
Two helicopters carrying members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) counterterror unit, the YAT, were brought down by bad weather in Duhok province on Wednesday.
“Heartfelt condolences to our #SDF #PartnerForce and the loved ones of the heroes recently killed in a helicopter crash. Their sacrifice and dedication to service for their country won't be forgotten as they continue to maintain safety and stability in #Syria,” the Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force – Levant tweeted on Saturday.
According to the SDF, the YAT forces were traveling to Sulaimani province “with the purpose of exchanging security and military experience to boost the level of the unit’s fighting.” Among the dead is the head of the force, Shervan Kobane, who is reportedly a relative of SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi.
There remains a veil of mystery shrouding the crash as no one has publicly claimed ownership of the helicopters.
The Kurdish-led SDF is the main ally of the global coalition against ISIS in Rojava. It is not known to have any aircraft in its possession and has not revealed who owned the helicopters their forces were flying in.
Erbil-based counterterrorism forces had reported that one unidentified helicopter crashed in Duhok’s Chamanke sub-district late on Wednesday, killing seven people on board whom they claimed were from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Chamanke in Duhok province is located 15 kilometres from Mount Gara, where Ankara in February 2021 targeted the PKK in an operation dubbed Claw-Eagle-2.
Iraq, Turkey, and the US-led coalition have denied ownership of the chopper, according to the Kurdistan counterterrorism forces.
Coalition forces have not responded to a request for comment.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Friday called out Western countries for their backing of the Syrian Kurdish forces, saying that supporters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the SDF, and the PKK “were caught red-handed once again by giving helicopters to terrorists. They must now understand that these are futile efforts.”
Turkey considers both YPG and PKK terrorist organizations and has carried out several military operations against them. Ankara has also repeatedly slammed the Western countries, especially the US, for supporting the YPG.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) which controls Sulaimani province where the YAT forces were headed, also sent his condolences on the deaths in a statement late Friday, praising the cooperation between his party’s counterterrorism unit and the YAT. He posted a photograph with the late YAT commander in a helicopter and donned the YAT uniform during an event in Sulaimani.
Talabani visited Rojava in late December when he met with the SDF commander. They talked about "developing anti-terror joint efforts to preserve the region's stability," Abdi tweeted at the time.
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