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"SDF" Opens New Chapter: Foreign Fighters Withdrawal in Exchange for Peace
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SDF commander's acknowledgment of foreign Kurdish fighters' participation in Syrian conflict indicates attempt to open new page with Turkey and international community
Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi made a stunning announcement declaring readiness to remove foreign fighters from the country if a comprehensive ceasefire is reached.
In statements to Reuters, Abdi indicated that Kurdish fighters from Iran, Iraq, and Turkey originally came to participate in liberating Kobani from ISIS in 2014, denying any organizational links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
These statements coincided with escalating tension in northern Syria following Assad regime's fall, where Syrian Democratic Forces lost control of Manbij city to Turkish-backed forces on December 9.
The SDF proposed an initiative to defuse tension by withdrawing its forces from the strategic city of Kobani on the Turkish border, suggesting maintaining a local security force under U.S. supervision.
Positions conflicted regarding the ceasefire's fate; while the U.S. State Department announced its extension around Manbij until week's end, the Turkish Defense Ministry denied any agreement with SDF.
Abdi revealed that some foreign Kurdish fighters chose to stay in Syria after ISIS's defeat in 2019, working in civil and military institutions, noting that some wish to return to their regions.
The leader emphasized that Syria's new phase requires political solutions led by Syrians themselves, confirming his forces' readiness to return non-Syrian Kurdish fighters to their countries once comprehensive truce is implemented.
The United States, which considers SDF a key partner in fighting ISIS, seeks to mediate between conflicting parties and establish ceasefire in northern Syria.
Levant-Agencies
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