Ankara and Damascus are co-operating in a plan against Kurdish forces in Syria, said the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, in an interview with Ronahi TV on Tuesday.
Abdi’s comments come in the wake of recent clashes between armed Arab tribes and the SDF in eastern Syria, which he believes are part of a wider strategy of the Syrian and Turkish governments to take the control of the towns of Manbij (Minbîj), Tal Tamir (Til Temir) and Deir ez-Zor (Dêrezor) from the Kurdish-led administration.
The ongoing conflict in the region, which has been escalating for about ten days, began when the SDF conducted a security operation that led to the removal of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council Ahmed al-Khubail (also known as Abu Khawla). Arab tribes supporting the deposed commander then rose up against the SDF.
Abdi said that the dismissal of Abu Khawla was blown out of proportion, clarifying that complaints had been lodged against the leadership of the Deir ez-Zor military command, leading to their removal. He also stated that legal proceedings had been initiated against Abu Khawla and four others, and that a decision was pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We will not stay where we are not welcome”
According to Abdi, both the Syrian and the Turkish media have exaggerated the situation in Deir ez-Zor, portraying it as a war initiated by the Arab population against the SDF. However, Abdi argued that the Arab tribes in the region support the SDF and that the armed groups causing the unrest in Deir ez-Zor do not represent the Arab population in the region.
Abdi claimed that many of the armed groups involved in the conflict against the SDF were sent by Damascus to Deir ez-Zor from areas under the control of the Syrian government. He believes that the Syrian government’s intelligence services are behind these clashes. He also stressed that Turkish forces had launched attacks on Manbij and Tal Tamir just as the tensions were escalating in Deir ez-Zor.
“If the tribes in Deir ez-Zor were against us, we would not stay there”, the commander said. He clarified that during the operation, only five villages in the region had come under armed attack, concluding, “We will not stay where we are not welcome.”
