SDF Commander: We Are Ready to Deter Any Turkish Attack

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AFP file photo)
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AFP file photo)
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SDF Commander: We Are Ready to Deter Any Turkish Attack

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AFP file photo)
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AFP file photo)

Tensions have been high in northeastern Syria along the battle lines separating the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed factions of the Syrian National Army in wake of an escalation of shelling by the two sides.

The tensions have mounted in the areas surrounding the town of Tal Tamr, Nahiyat Abou Rasein, Zurkan in the Hasakah province’s northern countryside, and the two n of Ain Issa in Raqqa.

A senior SDF military leader warned that the forces would repel any aggression against their lands and areas of influence.

“We are ready to face any aggression by the Turkish occupation army or its mercenaries, and we have enough strength and determination,” said Mattai Hanna, the official spokesman for the Syriac Military Council, one of the SDF formations.

“Our forces are responding to the artillery shelling as it is our legitimate right to defend our lands,” he added, noting that the Turkish attacks targeted villages and areas populated by unarmed civilians, as well as schools and power lines.

“All of this aims to create chaos and instability in the region in order to undermine the democratic project that the Autonomous Administration and its military forces seek to implement,” Hanna underlined.

A military official and residents of Tal Tamr reported that the Turkish army and loyal Syrian factions launched a violent attack on the Assyrian villages of Tal Jumaah, Tal Shanan and Tal Kaifji, northeast of Tal Tamr overnight on Sunday.

Aram Hanna, the official spokesman for the SDF, noted the silence of the international community and countries involved in Syria over these attacks, accusing Ankara of seeking to create a state of chaos and instability.

“The Turkish attacks affect our efforts in the fight against terrorism and the pursuit of active and sleeper cells that come from Turkish-controlled areas, which have become fertile ground for the export of terrorism,” he stated.



Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
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Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)

With growing influence after its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists in 2023, Azerbaijan is using its close ties with Israel and Türkiye to defuse tensions between the regional foes in Syria.

Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev told AFP that Baku has hosted more than three rounds of talks between Türkiye and Israel, who are both operating in Syria to reduce what they see as security threats.

“Azerbaijan is making diplomatic efforts for an agreement,” Hajiyev told Turkish journalists in Baku on a visit organized by the Istanbul-based Global Journalism Council. “Both Türkiye and Israel trust us.”

The overthrow of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad sparked security concerns in Israel.

It has since staged hundreds of strikes deep inside Syria, the latest on Friday, to allegedly stop advanced weapons falling into the hands of Syria’s extremists and to protect the Druze minority.

Israel has accused Ankara of seeking to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate, raising fears of a confrontation.

In Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev is considered a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has consistently aligned himself with Ankara’s positions on key international matters, including the Syrian issue.

Azerbaijan also enjoys good relations with Israel, which is very reliant on Azerbaijani oil, and is a major arms supplier to Baku.

And now Baku, which has established contacts with Syria’s new rulers, is pushing quiet diplomacy by facilitating technical talks between Türkiye and Israel.

“We are successful if the two parties agree on a common model that respects each other’s concerns,” Farid Shafiyev, chairman of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, told AFP.

“Syria, and especially its northern territories, is the Turkish security concern,” he said.

Türkiye wants to control northern Syria but also to “have a stronger presence” around the Palmyra and T4 airbases to ensure security around Damascus, he added.

In facilitating Türkiye-Israel dialogue on Syria, Azerbaijan is playing a “strategic role,” said Zaur Mammadov, chairman of Baku Political Scientists Club.

“(It) reflects Azerbaijan’s growing influence as a mediator... among regional actors,” he said.

Azerbaijan fought two wars with arch-foe Armenia for control of the disputed Karabakh region -- one in the 1990s and another in 2020 -- before it managed to seize the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023.