"Turkey's obsession with perceived Kurdish terrorism has reached a dangerous flashpoint this week, as Turkish aircraft bombed targets in northern Syria that are dangerously close to U.S. forces there to prevent an Islamic State resurgence," writes the Washington Post in an opinion piece by prominent journalist David Ignatius.
According to the American journalist, General Mazlum Kobane Abdi - Commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - described the Turkish retaliatory attacks to him, saying that after three days of Turkish bombing, the SDF could lose its ability to maintain security in prisons and a refugee camp for ISIS fighters and their families.
"These strikes have already put the mission against ISIS in jeopardy," said Colonel Joseph Buccino, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which oversees the area."
"One of the strikes occurred just 130 meters from U.S. personnel, so U.S. forces are at risk. Any expansion of these attacks will increase the risk," Colonel Buccino told this columnist.
General Mazlum reported that a Turkish drone struck SDF positions in the al-Hof refugee camp, where families of Islamic State fighters are staying. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.
He added that SDF forces are in danger as they try to maintain security at 28 prisons in northern Syria, where 12,000 ISIS fighters are being held. Last January, more than 3,000 militants escaped from the Hasakah prison and it took more than a week to capture and regain control.
No involvement in the terrorist attack
Regarding Turkey's claims that the SDF is an offshoot of the PKK, Mazlum claims his forces had no involvement in the November 13 Istanbul bombing.
As for the accusation that he is personally linked to the PKK, he describes it "as an excuse" and says he has worked closely with US and allied forces for more than eight years.
The US newspaper reporter says that last April, he visited the al-Holl camp with General Michael Kurila, commander of Centcom. There were about 56,000 people there, about 70% of them under the age of 18. He also visited Hasakah prison, where security was already fragile, even before the Turkish bombing. The Turkish offensive began on Monday against the allied base in Hasakah, where US Special Forces are helping to train the SDF.
The columnist also visited that base and, as he says, "I saw the military coalition between the US and the Syrian Kurds which has crushed ISIS. The Kurdish militia paid a heavy price in this operation, with 12,000 fighters killed. Mazlum reminded me of this on Wednesday."
He also said he expects Turkey to launch a ground offensive in northern Syria soon, seeking to further control Manbij and Kobani, two areas liberated from ISIS by the US and its SDF partners at great cost. As reported, Mazlum said the US has "a moral responsibility to protect the Kurds from an ethnic cleansing in the region. He calls on U.S. officials to pressure Turkey to de-escalate its attacks before there is a catastrophe."
The columnist concludes by saying: "Gen. Mark Miley, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart and warned the Turks not to attack restricted zones around U.S. troops. But a Pentagon official said "there is no indication that the Turks are ready to de-escalate." As the Turkish military offensive in northern Syria begins to destabilize the U.S.-led coalition's fragile control of the murderous remnants of the Islamic State, a reasonable person begins to worry. What kind of ally is he?"
Source: in.gr
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