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Syria
SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi (middle) speaks to the people in Deir ez-Zor. Date: December 17, 2021. Photo: SDF
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – General Commander of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi said on Friday that Turkey is currently unable to undertake another “military adventure” against northeast Syria (Rojava) due to internal issues and international pressure.
Speaking to the people of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, Abdi said that Turkey has been seeking the green light to carry out a fresh military operation against Rojava but “the internal situation does not allow it to undertake a military adventure, in addition to the position of the international powers regarding the Syria dossier,” he was quoted in an SDF statement published on Friday.
“He added that there is an international agreement to reduce the escalation in Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces are within the agreement, and they are committed to the de-escalation process to ensure stability in the region،” read the statement.
Turkey has been suffering from an economic crisis, especially after its currency dramatically lost value against the dollar this year. The country is also suffering from political instability, with opposition parties calling for snap elections.
Ankara has been threatening a new offensive against Kurdish forces in Rojava in recent months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in October said he had “no patience” with Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, a pocket of territory in the northern Aleppo countryside.
Ankara considers the SDF a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a threat to its national security.
Abdi told Al-Monitor last month that Turkey does not have approval from the US and Russia to attack them.
“In my view, unless Turkey gets the approval of either Russia or the United States, Erdogan cannot take such a step. And as far as I am aware there is no such approval,” said the commander.
Moscow and Washington brokered separate ceasefire agreements to end the 2019 Turkish incursion into Rojava, the goal of which was to push Kurdish forces back from the Syria-Turkey border around the cities of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ayn) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad).
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