Baladi News - Agencies
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will respond strongly to any Turkish attack but is pressing diplomatic efforts to deter an assault, its commander-in-chief said on Thursday.
In a rare interview, Mazloum Kobani told Reuters that Washington had made “serious attempts” to prevent a Turkish offensive against Kurdish fighters who control a swathe of northern Syria at the Turkish border, but the United States should ramp up its efforts further.
The SDF, which is spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, has been at the heart of the U.S.-backed fight against Islamic State. It has seized vast territory from the jihadists with the help of U.S. warplanes and special forces.
SDF commander-in-chief Kobani warned that a Turkish assault would tie up YPG fighters who are currently fighting Islamic State remnants in eastern Syria, allowing the jihadists to spread again.
“We are ready for any attack and will respond strongly...within our areas,” said Kobani, a founder of the SDF and YPG. “Till now, our diplomatic attempts are ongoing to deter this.”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared on Wednesday that he would launch an operation within days into northeast Syria, where some 2,000 U.S. troops stand alongside the SDF. He said the target was not U.S. soldiers.
U.S. support for the YPG has infuriated NATO ally Ankara, which deems the Kurdish fighters terrorists. Turkey says the YPG is an extension of the outlawed PKK movement that has waged a decades-long insurgency in southeast Turkey.
Source: Reuters.