ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, accused Turkey of nurturing al-Qaeda-linked groups in areas it controls in Syria. Ahmed was in Washington to pressure the US administration to end its expressed support for Ankara and a Turkey-designed safe zone in Kurdish-held northern Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish groups in northern Syria branches of the PKK and has threatened a military offensive against them. The idea of a safe zone along the border is backed by US President Donald Trump. In an interview with Saudi newspaper al-Riyadh, Ahmed rejected a Turkish role in the proposed “safe zone,” saying their areas are already safe. “What is the need for a safe zone with Turkish administration in light of the existence of a clear project that has a practical successful experience in administering more than a third of Syria with Syrian hands?” Ahmed asked, referring to the territory administered by Kurdish-led groups and secured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the armed wing of her organization. “This is at a time when areas Turkey pledged to act as a guarantor for have become bases for Daesh [ISIS] and al-Qaeda who export evil to Arabic and Western countries,” she claimed. Turkey, and Syrian militias it backs, controls areas of northern Syria west of the Euphrates and through Afrin, which it seized control of in an operation early last year. Numerous reports point to unlawfulness in these areas under Turkey’s watch, including persecution of opposition voices. Turkey also acts as a guarantor in Idlib, where it has established observations posts, under a deal with Russia. The last opposition-held province in Syria recently came under the control of Hayet Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda linked group. In a report on Monday, Human Rights Watch announced it has documented 11 cases of HTS arresting and torturing critics. The rights monitor called on Turkey to use its influence with the group to stop its anti-democratic behavior and violations of human rights. The SDC is worried about the expected fallout when the US pulls out its 2,000 troops from northern Syria. Ahmed said in her meetings she has been discussing American plans and the fate of hundreds of foreign ISIS fighters held by the Kurds. “We receive a lot of assurances, but they aren’t translated into action. We are still waiting to settle on a formula accepted by all sides,” she said. The SDC, a Kurdish-Arab organization of locals from northern Syria, could play a role of “reconciliation between Turks and Kurds.” They have opened talks with Damascus as an alternative to fill the security vacuum when the US leaves, but negotiations have gone “nowhere.” They have only made statements about the desire to reach a deal, she explained to the Saudi outlet. Related: ‘Cultural freedom’ paramount in SDF negotiations with Damascus Russia is pushing for the Syrian regime to retake control of the entirety of Syria, but Moscow knows the clock cannot be turned back to pre-conflict reality, said Ahmed. Change has happened, and that needs to be recognized, she added. “We seek constitutional amendments that ensure a bigger participation for all Syrians in a decentralized regime of governance with the representation of local administrations in an elected Syrian parliament,” Ahmed said.
