Drums of war again in Syria: Kurds declare that they will defend Kobani

 

Syria's Kurds say they will defend Kobani amid fighting in northeastern Syria.



The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which are under Kurdish leadership - vowed on Thursday to fight Turkey in Kobani, northern Syria.

The SDF is led by the YPG militia, an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, which has been fighting Ankara for 40 years.

The last 24 hours of fighting between Kurds and Turkish-backed fighters in northern Syria have effectively nullified the precarious ceasefire agreements that Washington was trying to "blackmail".

Already yesterday Wednesday, a representative of the SDF had confirmed clashes with a militia supported by Ankara around Kobani and the Euphrates River.

"Our forces are currently establishing defensive positions to counter Turkey's continued attacks and secure all areas within northern and eastern Syria, with a particular focus on the defense of Kobani," said Farhad Sami, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces. on the social networking platform X. He also accused Turkey and its allies of "trying to take advantage of the current ceasefire to continue their expansionist agenda and deceive the international community."

Earlier this week, Matthew Miller said the outgoing Biden administration was trying to help prevent "any escalation of fighting in northern Syria," even as US officials warned Ankara was massing troops on the Syrian border.

The message that an invasion is imminent with the aim of "cleansing" the YPG Kurds was sent to Donald Trump himself and Ilham Ahmed, an official of the political administration of the Syrian Kurds.

With information from Alarabiya News, New York Times.