Mazloum Abdi on Syria’s Historic Change and Challenges
Mazloum Abdi, the general commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has affirmed that Syria is undergoing a historic transformation but faces numerous challenges. He emphasized the SDF’s desire for a unified Syria, devoid of any separatist intentions.
Abdi stated: “Syria has entered a new phase from which there is no return. The country will not revert to its previous stages. All parties, from the Syrian populace to regional states and international powers, no longer wish to see civil war or further disturbances. Everyone is seeking to benefit from this current change and utilize the opportunity to build a new Syria.”
He further elaborated on the post-revolution scenario, saying, “Over the approximately 14 years of the Syrian revolution, three administrations have emerged in reality. One, the Ba’ath regime, has collapsed, replaced by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). There are also two existing administrations known as East of the Euphrates and West of the Euphrates. West of the Euphrates, areas managed by the interim government, which is temporary in name and nature based on past experiences, and our current administration (Autonomous Administration).”
Discussing the ongoing military threats, Abdi mentioned, “There are attacks on our regions like
Qarqozak and Tishreen Dam, with other areas still facing daily shelling by Turkish aircraft and artillery.
This is a significant contradiction from Turkey and does not align with the narrative of Syria entering a
phase of crisis resolution.”
Addressing peace efforts, he noted, “We’ve put forward proposals that are being worked on through
mediators, primarily the United States, and other parties are also involved. We are making efforts and
are positively approaching any proposal that comes our way to stop these attacks, but the opposing side
insists on continuing the aggression.”
Abdi clarified the geographic boundaries of conflict, explaining, “The agreed-upon boundaries for where
attacks should cease are the natural geographic borders. We withdrew from Manbij based on an
agreement ensuring the cessation of war at the Euphrates River’s edge on the western side. However, we
witnessed attempts to reach and control areas east of the Euphrates, aiming to besiege Kobani, but local
resistance thwarted this, pushing them back to the west after some groups crossed over.”
He highlighted the SDF’s military advancements, saying, “The SDF is not what it used to be. Over the
last four years, our forces have worked on developing their military capabilities, adopting various war
tactics including tunnel and trench warfare, and technologically, we’ve implemented measures that have
proven effective in countering attacks on our regions, whether on land or from the air, including
downing several Turkish drones.”
Regarding relations with HTS, Abdi commented, “So far, there have been no clashes between us. When
Operation ‘Deterrence of Aggression’ began, they contacted me, clarifying that their target is the Syrian
regime, not SDF areas, and they do not seek conflict with us. Thanks to mediators, there’s military
coordination between us in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and even in Aleppo. Many entities spread these
allegations to destabilize the region’s security and push for conflict to exploit for other agendas, but
both the SDF and HTS are aware of these schemes, and we will ensure they fail.”
Abdi concluded with a vision for Syria, “We think of Syria as a whole; we want a united Syria, and we
have no separatist intentions. Many propagate that we’re working on building two armies in Syria and
creating a state within a state. That’s not our aim. Our political goal is clear. At the core, there’s no
disagreement between the parties, and discussions are ongoing.”
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