The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazlum Abdi was interviewed on Ronahî TV and he commented on the current situation in Syria, the tensions that have arisen between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the future of Sinjar.
“The future of Syria will not be resolved by war, but by political means and dialogue. Some powers, especially the Turkish state, still try to benefit from the war. Turkey does not want a solution”, he said, underlining that the only possible path towards a solution lies through dialogue.
According to Abdi, it is possible to resolve the problems in the region in 2021, but the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) still continues. “If the fight against ISIS is weakened, they will come back even stronger”, he noted.
Referring to the meetings that have taken place with the Kurdish National Council, he said: “Some problems have been partially solved. Currently, we have paused the meetings, but when both sides are ready, we will continue”, he said.
Tensions between the PKK and the KDP
With regard to tensions that have arisen between the PKK and the KDP in Iraqi Kurdistan, Abdi criticized the KDP forces for their ongoing military deployment in the zones where the PKK has established itself. He noted that many parties have already called for a de-escalation of tensions between the PKK and the KDP. “No one supports the tensions. People and parties are against that. This process will only harm the Kurdish people and the achievements of the Kurds. We are trying to solve the issues through dialogue”, he stated.
Commemorating thousands of members of the PKK who died whilst defending Rojava, he expressed his gratitude to them. He also warned that the risk of conflict amongst Kurds might have a detrimental impact on the revolution in Rojava. Abdi remarked that there are many families of PKK members living in Rojava. He noted that “they will also express their reaction over this state of conflict”.
PKK’s assistance in the Kobanê war
“Kurdish forces came to help us in the Kobanê war. They were mostly PKK forces. Thousands of guerrillas came. They fought side by side with us for years. Four thousand of them were martyred. They fought with us against the enemy for years. PKK guerrillas defended the people of Rojava against Al Nusra and Al Qaeda even before ISIS. Like the people of Rojava and the defense forces, we can only express our gratitude to the PKK and other forces”, Abdi said.
‘The future of the Yazidi community concerns us deeply’
He made reference to 2014, when they fought for Sinjar and 300 SDF guerillas were killed. “We created a humanitarian corridor and transported the Yazidi community to the safe zone. Therefore, the future of the Yazidi community concerns us deeply, and we convey our views to all parties”, he said. The people of Sinjar should decide upon their own destiny, without the interference of other parties, Abdi noted at the end of the interview.
