Former Syrian Deputy PM says Russia will not allow Turkey to attack SDF

“These threats are meaningless and out of order, and no attack will be made.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/06/25 20:32

Qadri Jamil, former Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the opposition's Moscow Group talks to Kurdistan 24 (Photo: Kurdistan 24).

Syria Syria Turkey-SDF tensions Turkey northeast Syria Manbij Tal Rifaat

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Qadri Jamil, former Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Syrian opposition's Moscow Group, told Kurdistan 24 that Russia will not allow Turkey to attack the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

Jamil is originally Kurdish from Damascus and heads the Popular Will Party, which previously signed a memorandum with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political counterpart of the SDF, in 2020.

“This is not the first time that Turkey has posed a threat to Syria,” said Jamil, who also serves as the secretary of Syria's People's Will Party. “These threats are meaningless and out of order, and no attack will be made.”

“Our stance against these Turkish threats is clear: We will oppose any attempt to occupy Syria. Russia’s position is also positive, and they are working politically to stop attacks,” he told Kurdistan 24’s Khoshawi Muhammad.

“No new operation will be carried out because Russia will not allow it and wants to solve it through a political solution.”

Since late May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a new operation against the SDF in the cities of Manbij and Tal Rifaat to dislodge the Kurdish-led forces there.

In the past, Turkey has carried out three military operations to prevent territorial expansion by Kurdish-led forces.

However, such an operation might not be possible without a Russian or US green light. Both of these countries have publicly opposed a new Turkish operation.

Moreover, Iran has voiced public objections to such a new operation. Damascus has also publicly voiced opposition to any Turkish incursion.

Special Russian Presidential Representative for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters on June 16 that they “call on our Turkish partners and are urging them to refrain from such military actions on Syrian soil.”

Additional reporting by Khoshawi Muhammad