Abdi says Iran, Syrian government coordinate against AANES
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi said on Saturday that there is coordination between Iran and the Syrian government against the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). That was revealed in the latest events and tensions witnessed in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
Abdi said in an interview with Al-Majalla magazine that Turkey has also entered this line and has started supporting its affiliated armed opposition factions, aka Syrian National Army (SNA), “in the name of tribes.” Areas outside Deir ez-Zor, such as Manbij, Tal Tamr, and Ain Issa, have witnessed serious attempts to launch parallel attacks on the AANES-held areas, according to Abdi.
On Aug. 30, the SDF announced the dismissal of commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, known as Abu Khawla, from duty, for his involvement “in multiple crimes and violations, including communication and coordination with external entities hostile to the revolution, committing criminal offenses and engaging in drug trafficking, mismanaging of the security situation, his negative role in increasing the activities of ISIS cells,” according to the SDF.
The operation led to the eruption of clashes between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the dismissed leader and with al-Bashir whose groups are active in the western bank of the Euphrates which is under the control of the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
The SDF commander added, “We can talk about the desire of the three parties to exploit the members of some tribes to implement their agendas. Although these agendas differ, their clear goal is to strike our forces and undermine the agreed-upon formula by the components of the region, which is represented in the AANES. They wanted to sabotage our good relations with tribes and the local community by using sectarian language, but they did not succeed.”
Abdi said that Damascus sought to spread chaos through continuous media incitement and attempted to involve armed groups with tribal affiliations in a battle against the SDF, and he mentioned that there has been no contact between the two parties since the tensions in Deir ez-Zor.
Regarding the Russian shelling that targeted the SNA in the countryside of Manbij, Abdi said that Moscow does not agree to any change in its areas of influence west of the Euphrates.
Abdi attributed the decrease in Turkish threats to areas in northern Syria to the difficulty of obtaining American or Russian approval, expressing their readiness for any dialogue that serves the stability of the region and finds a solution to the Syrian crisis, “especially the areas occupied by Turkey and ensuring the return of their original inhabitants.”
He also indicated that the US-Russian tension in northern Syria is “controlled,” stating, “We seek not to make our areas a field for international and regional competition. Our relations with the two powers are shaped by the interests of the people of our areas and the interest of the Syrian people.”
Finally, Abdi addressed what he described as “impossible” conditions set by the government regarding areas in northern Syria, saying that their forces are a professional and national force, and they demand that it becomes part of the Syrian defense system and that its role and work be regulated by a special law that takes into account the great sacrifices made by their forces in protecting Syrians from terrorism and their ability to protect their areas efficiently.
He added that the future of the AANES is linked to its ability to maintain its experience, develop it, and correct its flaws, and that it is the right of the residents to shape their local policies and elect their representatives “away from guardianship, marginalization, and exclusion.”
Abdi pointed out that the Syrian government talks about recycling the current local administration law and amending it in a way that serves the central authority, meaning that it does not talk about any form of decentralized governance, neither in the near nor the distant future.