BALADI NEWS
The Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander warned that any attack by Turkey and its loyal factions regions east of the Euphrates would lead to the opening of a 600-km long front in retaliation.
General Mazloum Kobani (Ebdi) said the front will be opened from al-Malikiyah, near the Iraqi border, to Ain al-Arab near the Euphrates River in the vicinity of the Turkish border.
He pointed out that his forces are ready to confront any provocations and conspiracies by the Turkish state, which mobilized large forces to its border with Syria, Kurdish-Syrian sites quoted him as saying in an interview with the Kurdish newspaper, “Yeni Ozgur Politika,” which is published in Netherlands.
“Eastern Euphrates and Afrin are not similar. These are two separate areas. It is not possible to repeat here what happened in Afrin. We won’t allow that,” he stressed, warning of a great war if the Turkish army launches an attack.
“We took a strategic decision regarding Afrin, and we did not want to expand the fighting. Instead, we wanted to limit it to that area, which is indeed what happened.”
The Turkish strategy is based on occupying Tel Abyad and Ain al-Arab, but any attack will cause a permanent war until the forces withdraw.
Kobani noted that the SDF leadership has informed the US-led international coalition against ISIS about its decision, stressing that such a war would lead to a second internal war in Syria and would continue until Turkey withdraws.
The United States does not want that, and 73 countries in the international coalition do not want this, he added.
“This is an international issue and that’s why there is great pressure on the Turkish state, while this pressure was not put in Afrin.”
On Washington’s position from a possible Turkish attack, Kobani explained that there is an agreement with the US regarding the war against ISIS.
“Our war against ISIS is now the aking place in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor,” he said, adding that if any attack takes place against his forces, People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces will withdraw to border areas, ending the war against ISIS.
Asked about the border safe zone, which was said to be established, Kobani said: “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated since 2018 that the Turkish army has completed preparations and will begin with the East Euphrates operation.”
“We know that over the past seven years we haven’t attacked any area in Turkey, but our presence poses an issue for Erdogan and the Turkish state,” he explained.
“We have said this before and I repeat now, we don’t want a new war… We have asked US Special Envoy James Jeffrey to deliver this message, and he expressed his pleasure to do so,” he stressed.
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat.