Turkish FM accuses SDF of terrorism and separatism
Shafaq News– Ankara
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are pursuing separatism, targeting civilians, and acting in line with Israeli interests rather than Syria’s national unity, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on Thursday.
The warning comes as clashes escalate in Aleppo’s northern neighborhoods, where fighting between Syrian government forces and SDF-linked units has killed at least eight people, injured 57 others, and displaced thousands over the past three days.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Fidan said, “If you try to establish a parallel state inside Aleppo, no sovereign country would accept this,” adding that the SDF “must remove itself from this parallel structure.”
Despite what he described as generally positive diplomatic tracks, Fidan said the SDF had failed to take constructive steps. He claimed messages and direct letters had been conveyed to the group, including guidance originating from Imrali, where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)* leader is imprisoned, but that resistance persisted. “Either instructions are coming from elsewhere, or there is a double game being played against us,” he noted, affirming that the PKK leadership in Qandil had not issued any directive so far for the SDF to act positively in the process.
Fidan said Ankara had not seen “a single step” by the SDF indicating a willingness to play a constructive role, arguing instead that the group had aligned itself with destabilizing agendas. “This is a time for national unity,” he said. “The SDF must do its part. Its choice to become an instrument of Israel’s policy is not a coincidence.”
“The attacks targeting civilians in Aleppo have unfortunately confirmed our worries regarding the SDF’s real objectives,” Fidan said, calling on the group to abandon “terrorism and separatism.”
*The SDF is led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkiye considers an extension of the PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Ankara —a claim the SDF rejects.
