(Reuters) – An official with the Kurdistan Staff Social gathering (PKK) mentioned on Thursday the militant group would agree to depart northeastern Syria if the U.S.-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) maintains a big joint management position there.
“Any initiative ensuing within the governance of northeastern Syria underneath the management of the SDF, or wherein they’ve a big position in joint management, will lead us to agree to depart the area,” the official on the group’s political workplace in northern Iraq mentioned.
The PKK is taken into account a terrorist group by Turkey, america and Europe. It has fought a separatist insurgency towards the Turkish state for 40 years and greater than 40,000 individuals have been killed within the battle.
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After the ousting of president Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus final month, Ankara has threatened to crush the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which is part of the SDF that it says is an extension of the PKK.
Ankara has mentioned the SDF have to be disbanded and all senior PKK members ousted from Syria or it is going to strike, prompting negotiations over the way forward for the SDF, which is the principle U.S. ally within the struggle towards Islamic State in northeastern Syria.
Washington has referred to as for a “managed transition” for its Kurdish allies and the SDF commander has mentioned any PKK members would go away Syria if Turkey agrees a ceasefire.
In a written assertion, the PKK official mentioned that if the group leaves Syria it might proceed monitoring from afar and can act towards Turkish forces or strikes as wanted.
“The way forward for Syria might be decided after the twentieth of this month, as soon as Trump assumes energy,” the official mentioned, referring to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
(Modifying by Toby Chopra)
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