Politics

Syrian Kurdish opposition party calls on US and SDF to stop attacks against it

“We strongly condemn these intimidating practices, which have become a threat to the lives and safety of citizens in our regions.”

Kurdistan 24 2021/12/18 22:50

The leadership of the Kurdish National Council (KNC) called on the US and SDF to stop attacks against its offices (Photo: KNC)

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish National Council (KNC) on Saturday called on the US, the US-led coalition against ISIS and the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to put a stop to attacks targeting its offices.

“We strongly condemn these intimidating practices, which have become a threat to the lives and safety of citizens in our regions,” the KNC leadership said in a statement.

On Friday, protesters burned down the Kurdish National Council (KNC) office in a Molotov cocktail attack in the Syrian Kurdish town of al-Darbasiyah (Dirbêsiyê‎), where KNC members were holding Kurdistan Flag Day celebrations.

The incident came two days after tensions near the border between Syrian Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Region and the injury of a number of Kurdistan Region border guards on Wednesday following an assault on the Faysh Khabur border crossing by protesters.

Commander-in-Chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi on Friday strongly condemned "illegal saboteurs" for their assault on the building.

The KNC blamed the Revolutionary Youth Movement, allegedly affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), for the attacks, in which several KNC supporters, including Nizamedin Aliko, were injured. The group was also blamed for the protest near the border on Wednesday.

The group so far has not responded to the allegations.

On Thursday, the presidency of the KNC had a meeting with Ambassador Matthew Purl, who recently replaced David Brownstein as the US Deputy Special Envoy to Syria. Brownstein also joined the meeting that was held online from Washington.

According to the readout of the KNC, the US delegation underlined the importance of the intra-Kurdish dialogue and resolving the differences between Kurdish parties in Syria.

The KNC previously held several months of talks with its rival the PYNK (Kurdish National Unity Parties). The PYNK is affiliated with the PYD. The PYD is also the leading component of the political wing of the SDF, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).

However, the talks have been suspended since the US Presidential elections in November 2020 and have not resumed yet amidst growing tensions between Kurdish parties in Syrian Kurdistan and the neighboring Kurdistan Region of Iraq.