On Saturday, Mazlum Abdi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), revealed the details surrounding the targeting of his convoy on Friday by a UAV belonging to the Turkish occupation near Sulaymaniyah airport in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Abdi explained that the attack occurred on the way back from meetings with allies against the terrorist organization of ISIS and the convoy was carrying his American partners and the CTG force.

Abdi stated in a video statement that the attack did not result in any harm or damage. However, he emphasized that the primary goal of the attack was to hinder the joint war they are conducting with their local partners, the Kurdish forces in Iraqi Kurdistan, the State of Iraq, and their international partners.

Abdi added that the Turkish state is not satisfied with the joint war against ISIS, and as a result, it is trying to obstruct and prevent the continuation of the war by all available means.

Abdi further explained that the attack was also motivated by the Turkish occupation state’s dissatisfaction with the recently strengthened the brotherly relations between North-East Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan. The Turkish state is attempting to eliminate and end these joint relations, which Abdi believes is the reason their convoy was targeted in Sulaymaniyah.

Abdi also believes that the attack is closely related to the upcoming Turkish elections, stating, “Without a doubt, Erdogan and his group will resort to all options available to them to achieve a cheap victory, even if it means shedding the blood of the Kurds. He will try to exploit this situation to influence Turkish public opinion and win the elections.”

Abdi asserted that the Turkish occupation state and Erdogan did not achieve their goals with the attack, as it was condemned by many Kurdish and Iraqi forces and political parties, who showed their support for the joint war against ISIS.

Abdi expressed his gratitude for the support and condemnation of the attack from Kurdish and Iraqi forces, stating, “We deeply appreciate the solidarity and opposition of the Kurdish forces, and we extend our thanks to the State of Iraq and our international allies in the fight against ISIS.”

The commander-in-chief emphasized that the attack failed to achieve its objectives and highlighted that this was not the first time they were targeted by the Turkish occupation state, and it may not be the last.

In his concluding remarks, Mazlum Abdi stated, “To our people, friends, and supporters, we vow that our resistance will only intensify in the future to safeguard the gains of the North-East Syrian revolution. These types of attacks will not weaken our determination to elevate our level of resistance. Our efforts to unify the ranks of the Kurdish forces will continue to intensify, and our actions will develop even further.”

Abdi also expressed his gratitude to all the forces and parties that showed their support, while also saluting the Kurdish people and all the peoples of NE Syria.