SDF leader says ready for talks with Turkey if they leave Afrin

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are ready for talks with Turkey if they agree to leave Afrin and end Ankara’s threats on northeastern Syria, a Kurdish commander said on Monday.

General Mazlum Kobane, the Commander-in-Chief of the SDF, made the comments during a speech at a ceremony near Kobani to celebrate the end of the so-called Islamic State’s military defeat.

Turkey occupied Afrin following a three-month-long military campaign, which began in January 2018 and ended in March.

General Kobane said the civil and military administration of northeast Syria “is ready to open negotiations with Turkey” only if they withdraw from the former Kurdish-held enclave.

Read the full article and more in Kurdistan 24.