Syria’s Kurds criticise Damascus ‘threats’
Syria’s Kurds have criticised the “threatening language” of the Damascus regime ater it pledged to retake northeastern areas they control by reconciliation or by force.
The minority have largely stayed out of Syria’s war, instead carving out a de-facto autonomous region across a large swathe of northern and northeastern Syria.
That region is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who have been batling the Daesh militant group with backing from a Us-led coalition.
Syrian Defence Minister Ali Abdullah Ayoub on Monday said his government would recapture all areas held by the SDF “in one of two ways: a reconciliation agreement or by force.”
In a statement late monday, these mi-autonomous administration slammed his comments.
“The Syrian defence minister’s statement regarding the SDF reflects the continuation of the racist and sterile policy that has led Syria to this disastrous situation,” it said in a statement.
“The use of threatening language against the SDF who have liberated and protected the north and east of Syria from terrorists only serves those forces working to divide Syria,” it said. The Kurds want protection from a long-threatened Turkish offensive, but seek some form of decentralisation from Damascus.
“The autonomous administration stands by its position of the need for a solution and dialogue within the Syrian framework for all pending issues,” the Kurdish authorities said.
“But we want all sides to know that we, while choosing the political solution, we will spare no effort in the legitimate defence of our rights if necessary,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iran has denied a claim by the Turkish interior minister that it took part in a joint operation on Monday targeting Kurdish rebels in the border area.
“Iran’s armed forces have no role in this operation,” the official IRNA news agency quoted an “informed source” in the general staff as saying on Monday evening.
However Iran “will forcefully confront any group that seeks to create unrest on our country’s soil,” the source added.
US President Donald Trump’s announcement in December of a pullout of all American forces from Syria shocked the Kurds and sent them grappling to mend fences with Damascus.
Dialogue between both sides has been ongoing, but has failed to bear fruit.