Kurdish-led SDF beats back Turkish militants in Syria, says will ‘thwart’ Ankara’s ambitions
The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-sponsored, Kurdish-led militant group, have engaged in clashes with the Turkish-backed militants of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), in northern Syria to regain control over areas close to the border with Turkey.
The SDF spokesperson Farhad al-Shami said the group’s forces pushed back the Ankara-sponsored militants from areas near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates, a key source of hydroelectric power located 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Aleppo.
He said the SDF also destroyed a tank belonging to SNA militants southeast of the key city of Manbij.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, SDF forces have reclaimed four villages in the areas near the strategic dam following overnight fighting.
Additionally, Ruken Jamal, spokesperson of the Women’s Protection Unit under the SDF, stated that their fighters are just over 11 kilometers (seven miles) from the center of Manbij in their counter-offensive.
She asserted that Ankara is trying to weaken Kurdish forces’ influence in negotiations over Syria’s political future through the SNA.
“Syria is now in a new phase, and discussions are underway about the future of the country,” Jamal said.
“Turkey is trying, through its attacks, to distract us with battles and exclude us from the negotiations in Damascus.”
The head of SDF’s media center also told Sky News Arabia news television channel on Tuesday that the Kurdish-led force is prepared for any military confrontation, particularly against Turkish-backed militants.
“Turkey seeks to expand its control over Syrian lands, and the SDF stands firmly against such plans,” Farhad al-Shami noted.
The SDF spokesman went on to note that the SDF is open to diplomatic solutions, and is willing to join the new Syrian army, following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, but “the matter requires discussions.”
Shami clarified that the PKK operates exclusively within Turkish territory and that SDF forces are stationed away from border regions.
Militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, launched a surprise two-pronged attack on Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib on November 27.
They marched southward to seize control of several major cities, including Hama, Homs, Dara’a, and Suwayda, before entering and capturing the capital Damascus early on December 8.
Since the fall of Assad’s rule earlier this month, clashes have intensified between US-sponsored Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed SNA militants, who have captured Manbij and the areas surrounding it.
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