Italian writer and politician Gianni Vernetti said on Friday that he had a very positive meeting with Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“Today I had a very positive meeting with Mazloum Abdi on the political situation in Syria and in the Middle East. The SDF remains a crucial partner of the coalition in the fight against ISIS, and an important actor for achieving democracy and stabilisation in the entire region,” Vernetti wrote on Twitter.
The politician did not mention exactly when the meeting took place, but he shared his post on Twitter on Friday evening while the local media reported that Abdi had survived from an assassination attempt near Sulaymaniyah airport in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The SDF immediately refuted claims that Abdi was in Sulaymaniyah at the time of a blast near the airport, which local media also claimed was caused by a Turkish drone attack.
Meanwhile, Mazloum Abdi took to Twitter today to condemn the attack on Sulaymaniyah, partially confirming yesterday’s news. “We strongly condemn the targeting of Sulaymaniyah Airport by Turkey,” he said. “These violations continue in Iraq and Syria and have serious ramifications against the region.”
Friday’s explosion has heightened tensions in northern Iraq, as the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leading the Kurdistan Regional Government put the blame on its rival, Sulaymaniyah-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
“The position of the PUK in support of its brothers in Syria is worrying Turkey. We will continue our principled relations with our brothers and allies in Sulaymaniyah, and we are united against these violations,” Abdi said.