عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

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)
    Qamishli - Kamal Sheikho
TT
TT

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.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Sudan: Haroun’s Lawyers Doubt He Will Be Turned over to ICC

Ahmed Haroun, governor of Sudan's embattled state of South Kordofan, speaks to reporters in Khartoum on July 26, 2011. (AFP)
Ahmed Haroun, governor of Sudan's embattled state of South Kordofan, speaks to reporters in Khartoum on July 26, 2011. (AFP)
TT
TT

Sudan: Haroun’s Lawyers Doubt He Will Be Turned over to ICC

Ahmed Haroun, governor of Sudan's embattled state of South Kordofan, speaks to reporters in Khartoum on July 26, 2011. (AFP)
Ahmed Haroun, governor of Sudan's embattled state of South Kordofan, speaks to reporters in Khartoum on July 26, 2011. (AFP)

The arrest of Ahmed Haroun, former head of the ruling National Congress Party under former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, has reignited debate over the fate of former regime leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as the military establishment's relationship with the Islamist movement.

Awatif al-Jaali, a member of Haroun’s defense team, said members of the team doubt his detention is linked to arrangements to hand him over to the ICC, which seeks him on charges of "committing war crimes in the Darfur region during al-Bashir's rule."

Al-Jaali told Asharq Al-Awsat that her client was arrested while traveling from the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala to the capital, Khartoum, by an unidentified security agency. She confirmed that the defense team has no information regarding his place of detention or the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

The defense team intends to submit a request to judicial authorities to allow its lawyers to meet with their client, ascertain the reasons for his arrest, and identify the authority that issued the order before determining the next legal steps, she said.

The defense team comprises lawyers from both inside and outside Sudan, she revealed.

Moreover, Al-Jaali described the arrest as "illegal," saying that it "contradicts rights guaranteed by the constitution and the law, foremost among them freedom of expression of political and ideological views."

Haroun's arrest came days after he appeared in a televised interview in which he revisited the topic of his party's relationship with the military establishment and declared his support for army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, adding that the latter had been influenced by what he described as media hype and international pressure against Islamists.

In an interview with Reuters last year, Haroun said he expected that the army would remain in power after the war ends, stressing the need to reach a formula defining its role in political life.

He also said that his party seeks to return to governing the country following a post-war transitional phase.

His recent statements drew criticism from anti-war political and civil forces, which argued that allowing former regime leaders to move freely inside the country, despite facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, reflects their continued political and security influence.

Political forces said that Haroun's arrest may be an attempt to contain the fallout from his media appearance and absorb the domestic and international pressure and criticism that followed, particularly amid growing debate over the nature of the relationship between the army and Islamists, and the extent to which military decision-making is independent of its influence.

Arab World

Sweida Activist Speaks of Preparations to Drag Governorate into Confrontation with Syrian Security

Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
TT
TT

Sweida Activist Speaks of Preparations to Drag Governorate into Confrontation with Syrian Security

Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)
Gunmen loyal to al-Hijri on patrol in Sweida. (AFP file)

An activist leader in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida governorate has warned of ongoing attempts by the so-called "National Guard" to "drag the governorate into a new, wide-scale confrontation" with the government's Internal Security Forces, "under the direction of an Israeli politician who is a former Knesset member, and Syrian Druze politicians residing abroad."
An informed source inside Sweida city did not rule out the claim, noting that "these actors are pushing for this in an attempt to thwart the formation of an Israeli government led by Gadi Eisenkot."
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the activist, who opposes the policies of Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hijri and his "National Guard," said: "Currently, there are those trying to sow discord anew and create unrest with the villages where the (government) Internal Security Forces are deployed."
"After every period of calm and the emergence of a possibility to initiate dialogue, someone seeks to escalate the situation again," he said.
A cautious calm has held along the governorate's frontlines for roughly three weeks between Internal Security Forces and the "National Guard." Al-Hijri has also refrained from making any statements that might stoke tensions.
The source said the plot to reignite tensions in the governorate also involves "striking the sites where the (National Guard) holds detainees, in order to cover up for prisoners who were handed over in exchange for sums of money."
He believed the plan to rekindle tensions in the governorate serves multiple purposes, including "undermining the positive role Jordan is playing toward the new Syria and efforts to resolve the Sweida crisis," as well as causing "a certain embarrassment" to Israeli Prime Minister-designate Eisenkot.
The "National Guard," which controls wide swaths of the governorate, including Sweida city, "possesses the capabilities to reignite tensions" with the Internal Security Forces, "especially as it works relentlessly to fuel resentment among residents against the government," he added.
He warned: "Once the battle begins, every civilian will be forced to carry arms," stressing the need to "deprive them of the opportunity to widen the rift and ease tensions until we reach a national solution."
A source residing in Sweida city told Asharq Al-Awsat: "Instruments of the (Likud) party are pushing to drag the governorate into a confrontation with Syrian security, in order to find a pretext for Israel to intervene against the Syrian state under the guise of protecting the Druze."
Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour had previously extended several invitations to residents for dialogue to resolve the governorate's crisis, which has persisted since the July 2025 unrest. His calls went unanswered.
Several sources in Sweida said this is due to "the policy of repression and treason accusations prevailing in the areas under the influence of al-Hijri and the National Guard, who reject dialogue with the government, demand the right to self-determination, and sought - with the support of outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - to separate the governorate from Syria and establish what is called the (State of Bashan)" there.

Arab World

Talabani Deepens Dispute with Barzani as Settlement Appears out of Reach

Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
TT
TT

Talabani Deepens Dispute with Barzani as Settlement Appears out of Reach

Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)
Bafel Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and son of the former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, attends the inauguration and handover ceremony for the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP)

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani deepened his criticism of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), two days after KDP President Masoud Barzani called on Kurdish forces to engage in dialogue to resolve disputes between the two main parties, amid growing signs of political and administrative division between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Speaking at the Sulaymaniyah Strategic Forum on Thursday, Talabani described the KDP’s actions in the Kurdistan Region parliament as a "political collapse in the history of Kurdistan," saying that shuttering the parliament prompted the PUK to no longer recognize the current legislature.

He added that the region is experiencing the reality of two governments and two administrations, accusing a minority within the KDP of rejecting any settlement that fails to meet its demands - even going so far as to block a meeting solely intended for a photo opportunity.

For his part, PUK senior official Mahmoud Khoshnaw told Asharq Al-Awsat that tensions between the two main parties "have begun to intensify day by day."

He added that hopes pinned on restoring ties following the regional parliament's November 4 session have dissipated, pushing both sides gradually toward a rift.

Khoshnaw said that Talabani’s positions, voiced on multiple occasions, are "conditional" and reflect, in his words, a commitment to safeguarding the region's entity, its constitutional rights, and the gains of the Kurdish experience.

He stressed that the current parliamentary makeup does not represent the entirety of Kurdish forces, but rather reflects the KDP's presence at a time when major Kurdish factions remain outside the legislature.

Nevertheless, he said the path to a settlement "is still not completely closed."

Criticism of US role

Among the issues raised by Talabani was his criticism of US envoy Tom Barrack's “intervention” in Kurdish disputes, stating that he disagrees with him and that the Kurdistan Region requires a fundamental resolution to its problems.

Talabani called on the US administration to understand the nature of the situation in the region, or to step back and leave the political forces in Kurdistan and Iraq to resolve their differences on their own.

He also rejected accusations that he is "under Iranian control," stating, "I am not in anyone's pocket, and I never will be," while adding that he is well-received whenever he visits the US.

Talabani praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, describing him as a young man with a businessman's mindset who is seeking to correct Iraq's course.

Settlement still possible

Political science professor at Mustansiriyah University Essam al-Faili told Asharq Al-Awsat that the crisis remains manageable, pointing out that Talabani favored a peaceful resolution while Barzani called for dialogue between the two sides.

He noted that Baghdad does not want the fragmentation of the region's administration.

The US is also engaged in the crisis, he remarked, saying that these factors keep the prospects for a settlement alive despite the sharp rhetoric between the two sides.

He explained that a core aspect of the dispute revolves around the distribution of sovereign posts within the region's institutions and presidencies, noting that both parties hold leverage over this file, which makes it amenable to a compromise between them.

On talk of the possibility of forming a separate Kurdish region comprising the Sulaymaniyah and Halabja governorates, constitutional and legal expert Dr. Saif al-Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that such a scenario is constitutionally unfeasible.

Journalist Montadhar Nasser told Asharq Al-Awsat that the internal dispute is deeply entrenched in the Kurdish political landscape, exposing a failure of institutional governance in the region as decades of efforts to unify the two administrations have fallen short.

He added that talk of establishing two separate regions may be premature, although he argued that such an outcome would better reflect reality on the ground and could resolve the ongoing debate over the nature of relations between the two parties.

Nasser suggested that this scenario could prove advantageous for Baghdad, as it would allow the federal government to deal with two regions separately, while giving both parties greater leeway to forge alliances with other political forces in the capital without being bound by conditions or restrictions imposed by one upon the other.