Keystone-SDA
The leader of the Kurdish-dominated forces that control large areas of northeastern Syria announced a truce with pro-Turkish groups in Manbij on Wednesday. Fighting left more than 200 dead in this predominantly Arab area.
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December 11, 2024 – 10:45
(Keystone-ATS) These clashes come as experts and foreign capitals warn of rivalries and open conflicts between the different rebel factions in Syria who toppled Bashar al-Assad.
“We reached a ceasefire agreement in Manbij through American mediation,” declared Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by Washington.
Mr. Abdi added that fighters from the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the SDF, “will withdraw from the area as soon as possible.” “Our goal is to achieve a ceasefire throughout Syria to begin a political process for the future of the country,” Abdi continued.
Over the past three days, “218 members of pro-Kurdish forces and pro-Ankara factions have been killed in fighting in Manbij and its surroundings,” according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
“Draw a political solution”
Last week, the factions supported by Turkey claimed to have taken control of Manbij after wresting the strategic northern enclave of Tal Rifaat from the pro-Kurds. The OSDH adds that fighting continues in the Raqa region.
The FDS, allies of the West in the fight against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), are considered by Ankara to be an emanation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), its sworn enemy.
Mr. Abdi assured the press last week that the UN had contacted the FDS so that they could help “draw a political solution in Syria” while an 11-day offensive by a motley of opponents led by the Islamists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) put an end to half a century of unchallenged Assad rule.
On Tuesday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced that its head, General Erik Kurilla, had visited US and SDF bases in Syria.
