ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, general commander of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday said that the Turkish strike which targeted the internal security forces (Asayish) academy in Derik countryside in northeast Syria (Rojava), killed 29 members of the anti-narcotic forces, stating that it is SDF’s “legitimate right” to counter Ankara’s attacks.
"It is a brutal crime and blatant violation of human rights that cannot be disregarded," Abdi said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Abdi said that the Asayish is a civil institution supported by the global coalition with the goal of enhancing the stability and safety of the region.
“We won't hesitate in confronting Turkish occupation assaults and attacks on our land and people, and it's our legitimate right to face them,” Abdi said.
While the Turkish defense ministry did not comment on the specific attack on the academy, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Monday that Turkey’s armed forces conducted airstrikes against what he defined as “terror targets” in Syria and the Kurdistan Region since the start of the month, “neutralizing” 150 fighters.
Turkey uses the term “neutralized” to denote adversaries captured, wounded, or killed.
Turkey has relentlessly bombarded Kurdish sites in northeast Syria since Thursday, striking military targets and civilian infrastructure, including power stations, oil fields, and other basic services in Rojava. This follows a suicide attack against Turkey’s interior ministry in Ankara last week, which the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) later claimed responsibility for. Two police officers were injured in the attack.
PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but is proscribed as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Turkey also considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the SDF, as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said military operations in Rojava are in retaliation for the attack in Ankara.
“Following the terrorist attack that occurred on 1 October 2023, comprehensive operations have been initiated by our Armed Forces and Intelligence Organization against PKK/YPG terrorist targets and infrastructure in Iraq and Syria within the framework of our legitimate rights for self-defense,” read a ministry statement on Friday.
The SDF has been the main ally of the US-led global coalition against ISIS in Syria on the ground.
Abdi has denied any connection between Rojava and the Ankara attack. The “perpetrators haven’t passed through our region as Turkish officials claim, and we aren’t party to Turkey’s internal conflict nor we encourage escalation,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
On the fourth anniversary of the Turkish occupation of the Kurdish city of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) in northeast Syria on Monday, The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) called on Russia and the global coalition to condemn the “Turkish aggression” and immediately interfere to stop the attack and guarantee the safety of the residents and the vital infrastructure in the region.
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