Update from North and East Syria 16.01

Throughout the day attacks on Dayr Hafir and Tishreen were continuing, until around midday a US army convoy left from Heseke to Dayr Hafir. Artillery shelling and drone attacks stopped at this point. A US delegation and SDF and YPJ Commander Rohilat Afrin, commander met and inspected areas that had been bombed. Later a meeting between Mazlum Abdi, member of the SDF’s General Command and Tom Barrack, USA’s special envoy for Turkey and Syria in Erbil, Southern Kurdistan was announced to happen tomorrow.
The US again present themselves as mediators between SDF and HTS but their aim is to expand their influence in Syria and in Middle East. For this they try to force conditions on the SDF that would mean surrendering to HTS; conditions that will never be accepted. Surrender is not an option!

Meanwhile the Jolani regime renewed its threats to attack SDF held regions east of Aleppo. For everyone familiar with the events of the last year HTS’s accusations, that the SDF actions would be destabilizing and dividing Syria are absurd: Under Jolani’s rule both Turkey and Israel have massively expanded its zone of influence. Sectarian attacks and massacres against the Druze and Alawites have created deep divisions among the Syrian people.

At the same time the jihadist militias continued to attack civilians in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiye neighborhood. Also after the ceasefire: civilian homes are being set on fire while residents remain inside. More then 150,000 people have been displaced and still the situations of kidnapped is unclear. HTS shows again that they can not be trusted and are a threat to the Syrian people. Jolani signing a decret today which should grant basic rights to the Kurdish people should be seen on this basis.

In Northern Kurdistan the youth is daily on the streets and late last night fights with the Turkish police erupted. Meanwhile resistance continues around the world while the society in Rojava is preparing to defend. As one comrade said: “We said we don’t want war, we did not say we don’t know how to fight”.

⚡️Update: Mazloum Abdi the SDF announcement to retreat from Dayr Hafir and Maskana to the east of the Euphrates. The two towns are because of their exposed position difficult to defend. Along the Euphrates the conditions for fighting possible attacks by HTS are more favorable and the support of the society can play a decisive role in the defence as well. Dayr Hafir and Maskana came under control of the SDF after the Fall of the Assad Regime.