ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday that there is no serious threat to the Kurdish-led force in northern Syria following reports of new Turkish military deployments to the region.
“Until this moment, there have been no serious field developments, no direct entry of Turkish forces into Manbij, and no abnormal reinforcements in Deir ez-Zor or Ras al-Ain (Sare Kani),” Abu Omar al-Idlibi, a senior commander of the North Democratic Forces - a component of the SDF - told Rudaw.
“The situations are under control, and the forces present on the ground are performing their natural duty in maintaining security and stability,” he added.
Several Turkish media outlets published footage purportedly showing new Turkish military deployments to Syria’s northern towns currently under the control of groups backed by Ankara, including Sare Kani, Afrin and Manbij.
The reports of deployment come days after Turkish Chief of the General Staff, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday. Details of the meeting have not been disclosed. The development also coincides with the first anniversary of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Turkey is among the main regional backers of the new government in Damascus.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Sharaa signed an agreement on March 10 which outlines the future of the Kurdish enclave in northeast Syria (Rojava). Ankara, which continues to consider the SDF as a threat to its national security due to its alleged ties with Kurdish rebels in Turkey, has welcomed the deal and pushed for its implementation.
Idlibi said much of what is published on the alleged deployments of Turkish forces “falls within media warfare and spreading anxiety, and we confirm that the field reality does not reflect this exaggeration.”
Nalin Hassan contributed to this article.
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