Foreign Kurdish fighters to leave Syria if Turkey agrees to ceasefire

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— Kurdish fighters from across the Middle East, who joined Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) during the conflict in Syria, will withdraw if a complete ceasefire is reached with Turkey, according to the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

General Mazloum Abdi, the top commander of SDF, shared this in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. The potential withdrawal addresses one of Turkey’s primary demands: the removal of non-Syrian Kurdish fighters, whom Turkey considers a national security threat.

Turkey has ramped up its military campaign in the Kurdish region in northern Syria following escalating hostilities since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. On December 9, 2024 Turkish forces and allied Syrian Islamist fighters seized the city of Manbij from the SDF.

Abdi confirmed for the first time that non-Syrian Kurdish fighters, including some members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), have been present in Syrian Kurdistan to aid his forces during the conflict. The PKK is labeled a “terrorist” organization by Turkey, the United States, and other nations.

While Ankara views the world-wide respected Syria’s Kurdish forces as an extension of the PKK, Abdi told Reuters that the SDF operates independently. He acknowledged the role of non-Syrian fighters in assisting the U.S.-backed SDF in its battle against the Islamic State over the last decade.

“Some of these fighters went back to their home countries over the years, while others remained to keep battling ISIS,” Abdi said. “With a complete ceasefire, it will be time for them to return home with pride.”

The United States, which relies on the SDF as a key partner in combating Islamic State, has been mediating efforts to halt the fighting between Turkey and Syrian groups aligned with Ankara.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that a ceasefire in the Manbij region will remain in effect through the week. However, a Turkish defense official denied any formal agreement with the SDF.

Abdi revealed that Turkish and allied Syrian Islamists forces are preparing to attack the border of the Kurdish city of Kobani. In response, the SDF has proposed withdrawing its troops from the area, leaving it under the control of local security forces with U.S. troops overseeing the situation.

“We are ready to defend against any attack, but we have also proposed a solution to bring stability to Kobani,” Abdi said.

Kobani holds symbolic significance as the site of a pivotal battle in 2014, when Kurdish male and female forces drove back ISIS fighters at the height of the group’s power. Kurdish fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan (Bashur), Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat), and Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur) initially arrived to support the defense of the city.

While some, such as Iraq’s Kurdish Peshmerga forces, returned home afterward, others chose to remain and continue the fight against ISIS.

Following the defeat of ISIS in 2019 by Kurdish SDF forces, Abdi noted that some fighters returned to their home countries, while others stayed due to ongoing instability in the region.

“Now that a truce is in effect, we can help non-Syrian Kurdish fighters who are still here return home,” he said.

The commander emphasized that Syria is entering a new phase. “Syrians must now address their own challenges and build a new administration,” Abdi said. “This is a moment for those who supported us to return to their homes with dignity.”

Analysts say Turkey’s concern isn’t about threats from Syrian Kurdish forces on the country’s southern border. Instead, Turkey, which denies the constitutional recognition of its own Kurdish population of over 23 million, fears that the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region or state in Syrian Kurdistan could inspire separatism among its own Kurdish citizens.

Mahmoud Fathi with Mohammad al-Golani and Yasin Aktay — Mahmoud Fathi (right), an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood sentenced to death in Egypt, stands alongside Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader and current Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Shara (Abu Mohammad al-Golani) (center) and Yasin Aktay, a senior advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Damascus, Syria, following the fall of Assad’s regime in December 2024. Photo: SM/via iKurd.net

Reports indicate that Turkey is not opposing the involvement of non-Syrian Islamist fighters in the new Syrian Islamist administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda under its previous name, al-Nusra Front. HTS includes thousands of foreign fighters, and many of the key leaders around HTS head Abu Mohammad al-Golani are from countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, and others.

Mahmoud Mohamed Fathi Badr, from the Muslim brotherhood, according to the recent list of terrorist entities issued by Egypt, is convicted in several cases related to terrorist activities and has been sentenced to death for his involvement in the assassination of Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat. The list states that his “terrorist” activities against Egypt have continued from abroad up until the current year, 2024.

(With files from Reuters | BBC | Agencies)