Agreement with Syria is strictly within a military context: Ilham Ahmed

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish leader and Co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Ilham Ahmed, explained on Wednesday that their agreement with the Syrian regime is “strictly military,” and was done to prevent civilians casualties and the Turkish takeover of northeastern Syria.

Ahmed spoke to Kurdistan 24 following her meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister, Ann Linde, to discuss the Turkish-led escalation in the northeast of Syria. She affirmed that “our agreement with Syria is a military one, to protect the people and borders against the Turkish assault.”

“The Turkish military and its militant proxies are attacking the same people who fought against the Islamic State terrorist group and protected the security and stability of the area,” argued Ahmed.

Ahmed, who represents the political wing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), also mentioned that “instead of appreciating our sacrifice in fighting against the terrorist group, our people are being killed in the aggressive Turkish military campaign on Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) in front of the whole world.”   

After her meeting with the Swedish Foreign Minister, Ahmed relayed their concerns and welcomed their initiative within the European Union to stop the sale of arms to Turkey.

Syrian government forces, known as the Syrian Army, have been moving slowly toward SDF-held areas, and since the deal announced on October 13, arrived in Manbij and Kobani.

The Turkish offensive, which was launched on October 9, has thus far led to the displacement of some 275,000 civilians, including 70,000 children. About 1500 civilians have already moved to the Kurdistan Region.

The SDF has also confirmed they lost 137 of their fighters, with another 180 injured in the offensive.

Editing by Nadia Riva