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SDF Commander Meets US Delegation East of Euphrates

US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie. (AFP)
US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie. (AFP)
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SDF Commander Meets US Delegation East of Euphrates

US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie. (AFP)
US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie. (AFP)

A meeting to discuss developments in northeastern Syria was held Monday in the city of Ain al-Arab between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazlum Abdi and a US delegation headed by US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie.

Ambassador William Roebuck, Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, was also present.

“We discussed several issues with McKenzie, mainly the security situation at the joint border with Turkey, common coordination, future cooperation between the SDF and the anti-ISIS coalition,” Abdi told Asharq Al-Awsat after sitting down with the US delegation.

The two sides also tackled the situation in the refugee camps, the families of ISIS members and terrorist captives held by the SDF.

The meeting comes a day after Abdi warned in a interview to Asharq Al-Awsat that any attack by Turkey and its loyal factions on regions east of the Euphrates would lead to the opening of a 600-km long front in retaliation.

Abdi threatened last week that war would break out from Manbij to Idlib if Turkey moves to capture Afrin.

The US delegation’s visit coincided with the visit by US Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Ambassador James Jeffrey to Ankara.

He held talks with officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry over the safe zone in northeast Syria, where Washington supports the SDF.

“Our viewpoints with partners at the Global Coalition were substantially identical,” Abdi said.

“We have an agreement with the US concerning the war against ISIS. The terrorist group is now in the areas of Raqqa and Deir Ezzour,” he told the US officials and leaders from the Global Coalition.

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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)

The festivity of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad was overshadowed by growing political tensions, particularly over the unresolved salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

While Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani opted for a neutral gesture - issuing a general holiday greeting and performing Eid prayers without comment - other political leaders used the occasion to speak pointedly about the nation’s deepening challenges.

Al-Sudani attended Eid prayers at Al-Rasoul Mosque in the capital, choosing to remain silent on political matters. However, influential Shiite cleric and head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali both delivered speeches that touched on the country’s fraught political and economic landscape.

Al-Hakim warned against the use of political money in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, 2025.

Calling the vote “historic,” he emphasized the need for electoral integrity and urged political blocs to adopt a national code of conduct barring the use of illicit funds. “There is talk of a market where candidates and voters are being bought. This is corruption and betrayal of the people,” he said.

He also addressed Iraq’s perennial electricity crisis, calling for a “strategic state of emergency” to resolve the issue once and for all. “Despite changing governments and large budgets, the same problems repeat themselves,” he noted.

Al-Hakim stressed the need for governments to define clear priorities, including agriculture, water, and clean energy, and said Iraqis “deserve a dignified life that begins with stable electricity and ends with technological advancement.”

Khazali, meanwhile, focused his remarks on the Kurdistan Region salary crisis, criticizing accusations from Kurdish media that he was responsible for the federal government’s suspension of public sector salaries in the region. “It’s simply not true,” he said. “Unfortunately, salaries remain unpaid to this day.”

He stressed that despite Iraq’s wealth, the country continues to suffer from poverty and unemployment, and argued that the roots of these issues lie in the legacy of the former Ba’ath regime.

Khazali also pointed out that Kurdistan experiences higher poverty rates than the rest of Iraq, and that many Iraqi refugees abroad are from the region.

Turning to the electricity crisis, he warned this summer could be the most difficult in years, as outages are expected to worsen. “All past governments focused on increasing output but ignored the need to instill a culture of energy conservation,” he said, warning that some groups may seek to exploit the crisis to sow internal unrest.