Türkiye will help Syria against SDF if asked: Defense Ministry
ANKARA
Türkiye's military is ready to support Syria in its battle with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northwestern city of Aleppo if Damascus asks for help, Defense Ministry sources said on Jan. 8.
The officials told reporters Türkiye "supports Syria's fight against terrorist organizations" and was "closely monitoring" developments in the north.
“Syria’s security is our security,” the sources were quoted as saying by local media. "Should Syria request assistance, Türkiye will provide the necessary support."
Their remarks came as Syrian authorities warned civilians to leave a contested area in Aleppo and opened a corridor for them to evacuate for a second day as deadly clashes continued.
State news agency SANA, citing the army, said the military would begin “targeted operations” against the SDF in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, half an hour after that deadline.
As of Jan. 7, more than 46,000 people had been displaced across the province, according to Aleppo’s Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor.
Each side has accused the other of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure
The clashes followed an impasse in political negotiations between the central state and the SDF.
The leadership in Damascus under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a deal in March with the SDF, which controls much of the northeast, for it to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025. There have been disagreements on how it would happen. In April, scores of SDF members left Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh as part of the deal.
Officials from the central government and SDF met again on Jan. 4 in Damascus, but government officials said that no tangible progress had been made.
The SDF has for years been the main U.S. partner in Syria in fighting against ISIL, but Türkiye considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Türkiye. A peace process is now underway.
Despite the long-running U.S. support for the SDF, the Trump administration in the U.S. has also developed close ties with al-Sharaa’s government and has pushed the Kurds to implement the March deal.
Fidan urges SDF to end separatist agenda
In the meantime, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan elaborated on the escalation between SDF and the Damascus administration during a joint press conference with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi on Jan. 8.
Recalling that he recently discussed the situation with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Paris, Fidan described the attacks carried out by SDF in Aleppo as revealing their real intentions at the expense of deepening pessimism over the future.
“The SDF’s insistence in maintaining the status quo stands as the most important hurdle before Syria’s comfort and stability,” he stated, urging that the organization should abandon its separatist and terrorist agenda.
On a question, Fidan described recent developments in Aleppo as directly relevant with Türkiye’s national security, and therefore, Ankara is in close coordination with all relevant parties.
“What we see is stability and regional peace. But Israel’s expansionism based on a security approach that foresees division, weakness and chaos is completely opposite to this vision,” Fidan said.
The SDF’s decision to stay in coordination with Israel, instead of fully integrating with the Syrian structures, is adding difficulties in terms of stabilizing the entire country, Fidan said.
“We are in intense contacts with both Syria and the United States for ending this conflict without further bloodshed. But SDF is resisting in not taking any positive step,” he added.
The minister also recalled that the new administration in Damascus is "reinforcing its structures and developing its anti-terror capacity step-by-step."