The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) convened on Tuesday to discuss developments in the region as the Turkish political administration recently made its plans public to further occupy parts of northern Syria.
It was stressed in a statement released after the meeting that a possible large scale attack by Turkey would have serious negative impacts on the integrity of Syria and would lead to further destabilisation.
The SDF General Command stated that they are ready to cooperate with Syrian troops to fend off Turkish attacks.
The latest Turkish shelling targeting areas and settlements around Tell Tamr, Zirgan, Manbij and Shahba, the impacts of those attacks on civilians, and the means to be implemented for the protection of civilians, were discussed in the meeting.
It was assessed that a new Turkish military campaign would take Syria back to the beginning of the crisis, and that the latest threats by Turkey signified a project of invasion that would lead to a division of the country.
Another assessment was that the Islamic State (ISIS) has been taking advantage of Turkey’s attacks in Syria to reorganise and ramp up its activities, and that Turkish attacks had an impeding impact on the fight against ISIS.
The General Command also noted that they were making preparations to counteract a possible long-term Turkish military campaign, and to protect people, property and land in the face of attacks.