“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,” said Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi.

 

Syrian Democratic Forces will “not hesitate” to confront Turkey, Mazloum Abdi warns

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will “not hesitate” to confront Turkey’s military offensives against Syria’s Kurdish-led autonomous regions, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said on Monday. “It is our legitimate right to confront them,” he added.

Shortly before Abdi’s statement, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) declared three days of general mourning in the face of significant casualties caused by Turkey’s ongoing attacks on the region.

A Turkish airstrike on the Internal Security Academy of the AANES on Sunday caused the deaths of 29 members of the SDF’s anti-narcotics squad and injured 28 others, some of them seriously.

“It is a brutal crime and a blatant violation of human rights that cannot be ignored,” Abdi said, stressing that the Internal Security Academy, a civilian institution supported by the US-led Global Coalition Against Daesh [Islamic State, ISIS], plays a crucial role in enhancing stability and security in the region.