SDF Chief: Turkey Hinders Anti-ISIS Operations

Kurdish National Council offices set on fire in northeast Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kurdish National Council offices set on fire in northeast Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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SDF Chief: Turkey Hinders Anti-ISIS Operations

Kurdish National Council offices set on fire in northeast Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kurdish National Council offices set on fire in northeast Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi said Turkey has intensified attacks against SDF-run areas east of the Euphrates, violating international covenants with the guarantor countries.

He pointed to the Turkish attacks targeting Syria’s Ain al-Arab (Kobani) and the drone attacks that have killed innocent civilians and administrative figures.

He said in a tweet on his official page on Saturday that these provocative attacks threaten peace and security and hinder anti-ISIS operations in these areas.

Abdi’s remarks followed a series of violent attacks targeting SDF sites in the countryside of Aleppo, Hasakeh and Raqqa governorates in northeastern Syria.

Since early April, the Turkish army has targeted nine SDF military sites and posts in its areas of influence east of the Euphrates, killing six military personnel, including three women, one of whom was a prominent leader in the SDF women's wing, and injuring 17 others.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) denounced in a statement published on its official Facebook page on Saturday Turkey’s constant brutal attacks and policy of genocide adopted against Kurdish areas, the latest of which was targeting a car in Kobani, in which head of the Defense Office and her companions were killed.

It further slammed Turkey’s “systematic” escalation against its regions and warned that this policy will affect Syria and the region.

It urged Moscow and Washington, guarantors of the ceasefire agreements with Ankara, to prevent escalation, the risks of ISIS return and the deepening of the role played by Turkish-supported mercenaries to divide Syria and implement its occupying policies in the war-torn country.

The statement underlines Turkey’s exploitation of the worsening global situation, especially Russia’s war in Ukraine, to pass its hostile policies against the residents of the Autonomous Administration areas.

Separately, the office of a party linked to the Kurdish National Council (KNC) was set on fire on Friday in Qamishli city. The attack was the eighth in a week and resulted in material damages.

The Yekiti Kurdistan Party accused an armed group affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of carrying out the attack.



In Absentia Trial of Hemedti Kicks off in Sudan over 2023 West Darfur Governor Murder

This file photo shows Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Juba, South Sudan, on Oct. 21, 2019. (Reuters)
This file photo shows Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Juba, South Sudan, on Oct. 21, 2019. (Reuters)
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In Absentia Trial of Hemedti Kicks off in Sudan over 2023 West Darfur Governor Murder

This file photo shows Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Juba, South Sudan, on Oct. 21, 2019. (Reuters)
This file photo shows Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Juba, South Sudan, on Oct. 21, 2019. (Reuters)

A Sudanese court kicked off on Sunday the in absentia trial of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, his brother Abdel Rahim and 14 members of the group in the murder of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abkar in June 2023.

The Port Sudan court listened to the prosecution’s opening statement. Attorney General Al-Fatih Tayfour described the case as significant and that it underscores the rule of law.

Akbar was killed on June 14, 2023, after he was kidnapped by the RSF. Videos circulated on social media showed his killing and the mutilation of his body.

The presiding judge demanded the maximum sentence against the accused. If indicted, they could either face life in prison or the death sentence.

He said Akbar was killed in cold blood with the participation of his deputy Tijani Al-Tahir Karshom.

The United Nations mission in Sudan had condemned the “heinous” murder, adding that witnesses attested that the “Arab tribe militias” loyal to the RSF had committed it.

It had called for the prepetrators to be brought to justice.

The RSF had denied its involvement in the crime, saying it was a dangerous escalation in local tribal conflicts. It said the criminals were “undisciplined” tribe members, while the army accused the RSF of involvement.