Kurdish commander: U.S. has “moral duty” to prevent Turkish incursion in Syria – By Dave Lawler (Axios) / Nov 23, 2022
The commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) tells Axios the U.S. has a “moral duty” to do more to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from ordering a ground offensive into Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria.
The big picture: Turkey has launched drone, air and artillery strikes across the border into Syria over the past four days, with Erdoğan now promising to send in troops and tanks.
- The mostly Kurdish SDF was the most effective U.S. partner in combating ISIS in Syria, but Erdoğan considers the militia an enemy and blames Kurdish groups for a Nov. 13 terror attack in Istanbul. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the SDF and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) denied involvement.
- The SDF says 18 civilians and four of its soldiers have been killed in the most recent Turkish strikes so far, with more than 50 civilians injured. A CENTCOM spokesperson said on Wednesday an airstrike on an SDF base posed “a risk to U.S. troops and personnel” operating in the area.
- Turkey, meanwhile, claims the SDF fired rockets back into Turkey and killed two people, which the SDF denies.
CONTINUE > https://www.axios.com/2022/11/23/kurdish-general-mazloum-biden-stop-turkey-syria
