The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has responded tonight to the statement of the Syrian Ministry of Defense calling on the SDF to join the Syrian Army.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense issued a statement today calling on the SDF to join the Syrian army to defend the country against Turkish aggression.

The General Command of the SDF said: "We once again affirm that, as we made our position clear since the beginning of the attacks, we welcome any effort by any side towards achieving a unified stance against Turkish aggression on our country and our people. The integration of Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces can only be achieved through a political settlement that recognizes and preserves the autonomy of the SDF in the region protected by it which requires Syrian military to be restructured."

The SDF added: "The members of the Syrian Democratic Forces have for years been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS terrorism on behalf of all Syrians and humanity, effectively fighting and reclaiming all the territory formerly held by the Islamic State in northern Syria."

The statement continued: "The SDF has created a distinguished and standing military force with highly disciplined personnel and a successful military structure. We firmly reject the statement by Syrian Ministry of Defense targeting the individuals and personnel within the SDF and reiterate that any sincere request of integration of military forces must be discussed with the authorities of the SDF with the aim of establishing a constructive dialogue which is the only solution to the longstanding internal conflicts between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian army."