"We sensed something was planned"

Sîpan Hemo (SDF) about the negotiations in Damascus on January 4

"It was a very positive meeting, because both sides had agreed on the articles. Just as we were discussing these matters, an official from another state entered the room. He took the intelligence chief and the Minister of Defense aside and left. When they returned, they said, ‘Let’s leave it until the 7th or 8th of the month.’

It was clear that some kind of game was going to unfold. Shortly afterward, the language of threats against Sheikh Maqsoud intensified. Naturally, the Sheikh Maqsoud Neighborhood Council decided to resist.

The press also knows well that the attack on Sheikh Maqsoud was not reported by Syrian media, but by foreign media, and we followed it that way. On the same day, officials from certain states were in Damascus and sent the message that they were standing by them. With this backing, they declared war against Sheikh Maqsoud.”