SDC sacks its media coordinator after heated TV debate on Idlib
Ibrahim Ibrahim, the media coordinator of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) in Europe, was sacked on Thursday after speaking negatively about civilians in Idlib during a heated exchange on a pro-Syrian oppositional channel.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ibrahim Ibrahim, the media coordinator of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) in Europe, was sacked on Thursday after speaking negatively about civilians in Idlib during a heated exchange on a pro-Syrian oppositional channel.
During an interview on Tuesday, there was a heated discussion about the situation in Idlib between the channel’s presenter Muath Muharib and the Europe-based SDC media official.
Ibrahim is originally a Kurd from the Afrin region, a region which has been occupied by Turkish-backed groups since 2018.
The SDC, the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in an official statement said the presenter provoked Ibrahim by making several accusations against the SDC in a provocative matter.
“(This) drove the speech of the colleague Ibrahim Ibrahim from its proper course and removed it from the reality of the position of the Syrian Democratic Council, which completely rejects any inflammatory speech against Syrian civilians.”
During the heated exchange, Ibrahim described two out of four million of residents in Idlib as “terrorists” that deserved to die.
Ibrahim Ibrahim, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Council, has been sacked for describing Idlib residents as "terrorists" who deserve to die in a heated TV exchange.
— Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) April 15, 2020
"The SDC does not approve these statements, which express Mr. Ibrahim's personal views," per @SDCPress. pic.twitter.com/hmx70uXjhZ
But in an apology letter he published on Facebook, Ibrahim clarified that he did not mean the civilians of Idlib, but only “terrorist groups.”
“People misunderstood my speech that I accused my people and brothers in Idlib of being terrorists. This was not true at all: I meant the terrorist groups of the Muslim Brotherhood and Nusra. But because of continues provocative speech of the presenter, I couldn’t concentrate…”
Idlib is the last remaining rebel-held province in Syria, and the regime, along with its Russian and Iranian allies, have slowly been moving to establish Damascus’ control.
Most of Idlib is held by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group the US links to al-Qaida.
Idlib has seen sporadic fighting between Syrian government forces and the rebels backed by Turkey. However, a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey on Jan. 9 has stopped major fighting for now.
The SDF and the local self-administration have earlier welcomed hundreds of civilians from Idlib that fled fighting between the Syrian government and armed groups.
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The SDC said that after the TV interview they would “take all necessary procedures to prevent the recurrence of such errors,” adding they “apologize for the wounds of all civilians in Syria who suffered the greatest harm during the years of the tragic war.”
“We would like to emphasize that the position of SDC has not changed toward solidarity with the suffering of civilians in Idlib areas,” the SDC statement added.
“We would like to recall that the regions of Northeast Syria were and still are the safest areas for Syrians from various Syrian governorates and the SDC refuses in any way to threaten the security of civilians, or considering them a party to any conflict.”
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany