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Syria
General Mazloum Kobani Abdi led the campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, forging a partnership between scrappy local militias and élite U.S. forces. Then Trump withdrew the American. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have called on the Syrian regime to meet with them and address the Kurdish issue in the country, including political rights.
SDF military commander Mazlum Abdi made the call for talks in Hasakah today, according to the SDF-affiliated ANHA news outlet.
"We ask Damascus to negotiate with representatives of the Autonomous Administration [of North and East Syria or NES] and the Syrian Democratic Forces," said Abdi. "And to favor a political solution, on the principle of recognizing democratic self-administrations and recognizing the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people within Syria."
The NES is in control of much of north and east of Syria - as indicated in its name - and is dominated by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Abdi did not elaborate whether any of their delegations have been accepted or declined by the Syrian regime.
However, some of their delegations met with the regime officials in summer 2018 to discuss electricity infrastructure and military collaboration.
A senior commander of the SDF told AFP in May reaching a solution with the regime over Kurdish rights is "inevitable."
"Reaching a solution between the autonomous administration and the Syrian government is inevitable because our areas are part of Syria," said SDF spokesman Redur Khalil at the time.
Kurds have been marginalized in Syria for decades by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and before him, his father, Hafez. The Baath regime refuses to issue identity cards for a considerable number of Kurds.
Syrian officials have occasionally declared their intent to take back these Kurdish-led areas from the YPG. Regime and Kurdish forces fought over the city of Hasakah in 2016, for example. NES leaders have asked for Kurdish autonomy in Syria.
Abdi reiterated that they want to establish an army for a "unified free Syria" in his comments today.
"This meeting will be the basis for building a military force that will guarantee a unified free Syria," he said.
SDF military commander Mazlum Abdi made the call for talks in Hasakah today, according to the SDF-affiliated ANHA news outlet.
"We ask Damascus to negotiate with representatives of the Autonomous Administration [of North and East Syria or NES] and the Syrian Democratic Forces," said Abdi. "And to favor a political solution, on the principle of recognizing democratic self-administrations and recognizing the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people within Syria."
The NES is in control of much of north and east of Syria - as indicated in its name - and is dominated by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Abdi did not elaborate whether any of their delegations have been accepted or declined by the Syrian regime.
However, some of their delegations met with the regime officials in summer 2018 to discuss electricity infrastructure and military collaboration.
A senior commander of the SDF told AFP in May reaching a solution with the regime over Kurdish rights is "inevitable."
"Reaching a solution between the autonomous administration and the Syrian government is inevitable because our areas are part of Syria," said SDF spokesman Redur Khalil at the time.
Kurds have been marginalized in Syria for decades by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and before him, his father, Hafez. The Baath regime refuses to issue identity cards for a considerable number of Kurds.
However, when the Syrian war broke out in 2011, the regime largely refused to fight the Kurdish People's Protection Units' (YPG), the armed wing of the PYD and the backbone of the SDF. The YPG has more often fought Turkish-backed rebel forces and the Islamic State (ISIS).
Assad's Syrian Arab Army (SAA), with some exceptions, left Kurdish areas for the YPG in order to fight opposition groups in other Arab-populated areas, like Damascus and Aleppo. This allowed the YPG to carve out an autonomous region for Kurds, Arabs, Christians and others living in the northeast.
Syrian officials have occasionally declared their intent to take back these Kurdish-led areas from the YPG. Regime and Kurdish forces fought over the city of Hasakah in 2016, for example. NES leaders have asked for Kurdish autonomy in Syria.
Abdi reiterated that they want to establish an army for a "unified free Syria" in his comments today.
"This meeting will be the basis for building a military force that will guarantee a unified free Syria," he said.
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