U.S.-Backed Syrian Democratic Forces Pledges ‘All Out War’ if Turkey Invades Northeast

Oct. 6, 2019 (EIRNS)—The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF—the U.S.-backed force fighting ISIS, made up primarily of Syrian Kurds) is vowing to unleash “all-out war” should Turkey follow through on President Erdogan’s threats, most recently made yesterday, to invade northeast Syria. In a statement released on Oct. 5, reports Al Masdar, the SDF warned that they will “not hesitate to turn any unprovoked [Turkish] attack into an all-out war.”

The Kurdish self-rule administration also warned that any new Turkish attack would destabilize the region and help the Islamic State. Such an attack, it said, would “serve terror and be a real opportunity for ISIS to reorganize itself and thus take control of large areas of Syria,” and would also provide an opportunity for the thousands of Islamic State detainees and their families held by the SDF in camps and prisons “to flee, which would pose a threat to the region and the world.”

As for the merger of the Turkish-backed anti-Damascus militias National Army and National Liberation Front, Al Masdar says that similar to the Euphrates Shield operation in Afrin, the upcoming Turkish military operation will be led by Syrian militant groups