The commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, expressed his readiness to communicate with the new authority in Damascus, emphasizing the importance of representing all regions and components through dialogue.
Abdi stated on Tuesday, December 10, in remarks to Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath, that “our relationship will be with the central government in Damascus.”
He added that there is ongoing communication with Turkey through the Americans aimed at reducing escalation, noting that there is also communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) through the Americans.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is a military faction that led the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation against the Syrian regime and is listed on US and British terrorism lists.
Abdi pointed out that there had been no relationships or consensus between the faction based in northeastern Syria and the previous Syrian regime, noting that his forces were “the most confrontational” with the previous regime.
He expressed their readiness to communicate with the new authority in Damascus and to participate with new forces in the political process in Syria.
Previously, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (the political umbrella of the SDF) had expressed its willingness to engage in discussions with the Syrian regime and “liberate the occupied areas alongside the Syrian army.”
Regarding the crossing of his forces over the Euphrates River toward areas previously controlled by the ousted regime, Abdi said that the SDF crossed the river out of fear of the spread of cells of the Islamic State group in the area and communicated with Tahrir al-Sham in this regard.
Since the beginning of the opposition’s movement against the Syrian regime, there have been clashes with the SDF in various areas, leading to the loss of significant control areas, including Tal Rifaat and Manbij.
Military confrontations are still ongoing between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the SDF, at a time when the National Army threatens the city of Ain al-Arab after Manbij.
Many US bases are located in the eastern regions of Syria where the SDF has been stationed since 2019, when the effective control of the Islamic State group in this geography of Syria ended.
With the military movements witnessed in Syria by the opposition factions against the Syrian regime, which ended with the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime upon reaching Damascus, the SDF advanced toward regime-controlled areas in the cities of Deir Ezzor and al-Bukamal adjacent to the Iraqi border.
In recent days, the Deir Ezzor governorate, particularly the areas that were previously under al-Assad’s control, has witnessed tensions and clashes between several military forces.
Today, Wednesday, December 11, the Military Operations Administration, which is responsible for managing the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, announced its control over the city of Deir Ezzor and its military airport at the expense of the SDF.
The Military Operations Administration published a statement via Telegram, in which Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani stated, “Our forces have taken full control of the city of Deir Ezzor.”
The Military Operations Administration indicated that following the liberation of the eastern and western rural areas of Deir Ezzor and the flight of regime forces and Iranian militias, the city of Deir Ezzor and its military airport are now “completely liberated.”
The SDF faces a constant threat from Turkey since its establishment, as Ankara considers it to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed on its terrorism lists.