ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) "failure" to integrate into Syria's new security apparatus poses a threat to Turkey's national security, Turkish defence ministry spokesperson claimed on Thursday. This statement comes as talks between the SDF and Damascus remain stalled due to ongoing differences.
"The SDF terrorist organization's failure to fulfill its commitments to disarmament and integration into the Syrian state poses a threat to Syria's unity and integrity as well as our national security, Zeki Akturk said in a press briefing.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in March signed an agreement to integrate the Kurdish region in northeast Syria (referred to as Rojava by Kurds) - including its de facto army, the SDF - into the transitional government. However, fears among Kurds have risen following mass killings of Druze and Alawites earlier this year, with many fearing they could be the next target. These massacres were partially attributed to Damascus-affiliated forces.
"As Turkey, our sensitivities on this matter are clear. It has been repeatedly stated that we will not allow the SDF terrorist organization's sabotaging behavior and that we will resolutely continue the fight against terrorism in cooperation with Syria's new administration," the Turkish defense ministry spokesperson added.
His comments come days after several Turkish politicians from the ruling coalition threatened military action against the SDF if the force fails to implement the March 10 deal. In response, pro-Kurdish politicians in Turkey have expressed frustration, highlighting concerns over the escalating tensions.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who initiated the latest peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) a year ago, drew the ire of Kurdish politicians.
Bahceli claimed that the PKK decision to disarm and disband also applies to the SDF - which Ankara considers a Syrian offshoot of the PKK. He claimed that Israel is trying to divide Syria and that the SDF "appears to be within Israel's orbit."
SDF's Abdi warned on Saturday that a fragile ceasefire in place in northeast Syria may not hold "because final deals have yet to be reached."
Bahceli claimed that Abdi's statement "indicates that treacherous intentions and operational ambitions are on the alert."
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), endorsed Bahceli's remarks hours later.
He claimed that some steps are taken in Syria to drag the country into chaos, adding that Ankara sees this development as "a primary national security threat to Turkey."
Pervin Buldan, the main mediator of Ankara-PKK peace talks and a senior member of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), told Jin TV late Tuesday that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has stated that his February call on the PKK to lay down and dissolve itself does not apply to the SDF.
"Syria and Rojava are my red line. That place is special to me," Buldan cited Ocalan as saying during one of his exchanges with mediators.
"So he has made this determination about Syria several times. But apart from that, I want to state that he hasn't made any evaluation with us regarding Syria and Rojava," she added, noting that Ocalan has also said he has discussed the Rojava issue with Ankara and told them that he can solve the issue too if given the chance.
DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan told Yeni Yasam news outlet on Wednesday that the mass killings of the Druze and Alawtites in Syria should be taken into consideration when talking about the future of the SDF.
"To tell any community in the region, including the Kurds, to dissolve into a structure whose current practices are unreliable and whose democratic character has yet to be clarified, without guaranteeing their own security, would be both unethical and unconscionable. What guarantee can be offered that the Kurds will not experience the tragedy that the Alawites and the Druze endured?"
He stressed that the solution to the Rojava issue is not a military campaign but "dialogue based on rights and law."
Turkey has carried out at least three major military campaigns against the SDF since 2016, capturing several Kurdish towns in northern Syria with the help of Syrian militia groups it supports.
