Latest news with #Kurdish-led
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
SDF denies Erdogan meeting, signals openness to dialogue
Shafaq News/ The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on Saturday reports that its commander Mazloum Abdi had been offered a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while reaffirming limited indirect contacts and a willingness to engage in talks under the right conditions. The statement rejected claims by regional sources to Al-Monitor that Turkish officials had proposed such a meeting. 'The information is false. Neither our leadership nor any delegation from northern and eastern Syria in meetings with Damascus has received an offer for talks with the Turkish side from any party,' the SDF said. The SDF and Turkiye have long been on opposite sides of Syria's fragmented war and peace efforts. The SDF—primarily made up of Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG)—was Washington's main ground partner in the fight against ISIS. It controls a vast swath of northern and eastern Syria, including areas rich in oil, water, and agricultural resources. Turkiye, meanwhile, sees the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a terrorist organization. Turkiye fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region on its southern border could embolden separatist sentiments among its own Kurdish population. Abdi confirmed in a televised interview earlier today that direct and indirect communication channels exist between the SDF and Turkiye. He revealed that a temporary ceasefire has been in place between the two sides for about two months—signaling a rare lull in cross-border clashes. While reaffirming that the SDF is not at war with Turkiye, Abdi stated he would be willing to meet Erdogan if such talks 'served regional stability and recognized the rights of Syria's diverse communities.' Since 2016, Turkiye has launched four major incursions into northern Syria, aiming to push back SDF fighters and create a buffer zone. These offensives have displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and left a patchwork of Turkish-controlled enclaves along the border. The SDF, meanwhile, administers the self-declared Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It has been engaged in delicate balancing acts—holding talks
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kurdish delegation heads to Damascus for talks: Kurdish source
A delegation from northeast Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration was headed to Damascus on Saturday for talks on implementing a March deal to integrate Kurdish institutions into the state, a member of the delegation said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Under the agreement signed by Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurds are to integrate their civil and military institutions into the national government. The deal includes all border crossings, oil and gas fields and a regional airport. A member of the Kurdish delegation, requesting anonymity in order to brief the media, told AFP that "a delegation from the autonomous administration is on the way to Damascus to discuss" details of the March deal. Despite the accord, the Kurds have criticised a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and said the new government failed to reflect Syria's diversity. Last month, Syrian Kurdish parties adopted a joint vision of a "decentralised democratic state", a move rejected by Damascus, which warned against attempts at separatism or federalism by the minority group. The March agreement states that the Kurds are an "essential component of the Syrian state", guaranteeing the "right to citizenship and all... constitutional rights". Syria's Kurds suffered marginalisation and repression under Assad's rule, being deprived of the right to speak their language and celebrate their holidays and, in many cases, of Syrian nationality. Earlier this month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani warned that delaying the implementation of the deal would "prolong the chaos" in the country. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an interview broadcast Friday by Shams TV, based in Arbil in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, SDF chief Abdi said that "we are committed to what was agreed with Damascus and we are currently working on implementing this agreement". He emphasised the need for a "decentralised Syria where all its components live with their full rights and nobody is excluded". But he accused Syria's new authorities of wanting centralisation and of "not being ready for everyone to live in Syria". Kurdish-led forces took control of much of Syria's northeast, including its oil fields, during the country's civil war and the Islamic State group insurgency. With support from a US-led international coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF played a key role in the jihadist group's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019. Abdi said all Syrians should benefit from Syria's oil wealth but said the Kurds wanted "an autonomous administration to govern locally and for the people of the area to manage security and political institutions".
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Syrian Kurdish commander in touch with Turkey, open to meeting Erdogan
Commander of Syrian Kurdish-led forces Mazloum Abdi, attends an interview with Reuters in Hasakah, Syria December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo BEIRUT - The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels during Syria's 14-year civil war. Turkey has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Turkey. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Turkey, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Turkey. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Turkey and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this." The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Turkey had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Turkey's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. In December, Turkey and the SDF agreed on a U.S.-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal. In the interview, Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbours. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall
BEIRUT — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for two attacks in southern Syria, including one on government forces that an opposition war monitor described as the first on the Syrian army to be carried out by the extremists since the fall of Bashar Assad. IS said in a statement on Thursday that in one attack, a bomb targeting a 'vehicle of the apostate regime' detonated, leaving seven soldiers dead or wounded. It said the attack occurred 'last Thursday,' or May 22, in the al-Safa area in the desert of the southern province of Sweida. In a separate statement, the group said another bomb attack occurred this week in a nearby area, targeting members of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army. It claimed that it killed one fighter and wounded three. There was no comment from the government on the claims. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by the Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on government forces killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers, describing it as the first such attack to be claimed by IS against Syrian forces since the 54-year rule by the Assad family ended in December. IS, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al Qaeda's branch in Syria and fought battles against IS. Over the past several months, IS has claimed responsibility for attacks against the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. IS was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when SDF fighters captured the last sliver of land that the extremists controlled. Since then, its sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria. In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria's post-Assad government thwarted a plan by IS to set off a bomb at a Shiite Muslim shrine south of Damascus. Al-Sharaa met with President Trump in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, when the American leader said that Washington would work on lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since the days of Assad. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the meeting that Trump urged al-Sharaa to diplomatically recognize Israel, 'tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria' and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Mroue writes for the Associated Press.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for two attacks in southern Syria, including one on government forces that an opposition war monitor described as the first on the Syrian army to be carried out by the extremists since the fall of Bashar Assad. IS said in a statement on Thursday that in one attack, a bomb targeting a 'vehicle of the apostate regime" detonated, leaving seven soldiers dead or wounded. It said the attack occurred 'last Thursday,' or May 22, in the al-Safa area in the desert of the southern province of Sweida. In a separate statement, the group said another bomb attack occurred this week in a nearby area, targeting members of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army. It claimed that it killed one fighter and wounded three. There was no comment from the government on the claims. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on government forces killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers, describing it as the first such attack to be claimed by IS against Syrian forces since the 54-year rule by the Assad family ended in December. IS, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaida's branch in Syria and fought battles against IS. Over the past several months, IS has claimed responsibility for attacks against the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. IS was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when SDF fighters captured the last sliver of land that the extremists controlled. Since then, its sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria. In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria's post-Assad government thwarted a plan by IS to set off a bomb at a Shiite Muslim shrine south of Damascus. Al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, when the American leader said that Washington would work on lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since the days of Assad. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the meeting that Trump urged al-Sharaa to diplomatically recognize Israel, 'tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria' and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group.
