ERBIL — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has suspended anti-Islamic State (IS) operations with the US-led Coalition to protest the growing Turkish attacks in northeast Syria, a local source said.
The decision came after several SDF fighters and commanders were killed or injured in Turkish airstrikes over the past two weeks, the source, who spoke to BasNews on condition of anonymity, revealed.
“The suspension of military operations with the International Coalition is a way the SDF uses to pressure Turkey to stop its attacks,” the source said.
Turkey sees the Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria as the offsprings of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara considers as a “terrorist organization”.
In late July, a Turkish airstrike targeted a vehicle outside Qamishlo on northeast Syria, killing three SDF fighters, including Salwa Yusuk, said to be the deputy commander of the Kurdish forces and the coordinator between the SDF and Coalition forces.
The US Central Command soon condemned the attack and said in a statement that “Salwa was a critical SDF leader who led forces in combat vs ISIS since the height of the fight to defeat the vile ideology in NE Syria in 2017.”