Senior SDF Commander Sipan Hemo on the Future of Syria’s Kurds after Aleppo
Sipan Hemo, a member of the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spoke to Ronahî TV on Sunday regarding the Damascus-led military offensive against the Kurdish Asayish in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid that ended with Kurdish fighters eventually leaving on Jan. 11 and about the meeting in Damascus on the implementation of the March 10 Agreement. In the interview, he also addressed criticism from Syrian Kurdish civilians, who accuse the SDF of placing too much trust in Damascus by signing the agreement and failing to support the Asayish in Aleppo. Furthermore, he accused a foreign actor (most likely Turkey) of disrupting positive talks with Damascus.
Explaining the details of the meeting held in Damascus regarding the March 10 Agreement, Hemo said:
“There were some positive developments regarding the integration of the SDF into the Syrian army. International forces were also mediating. Both sides had accepted these points. We attended the latest meeting, which was quite positive, because both sides had agreed to the articles. In fact, international forces wanted this development to be announced publicly. While we were discussing this, an official from another state—whose name I will not mention—entered the room. Seeing that the meeting was progressing positively, he took the intelligence chief and the defense minister aside and left. When they returned, they said, ‘At this stage, we will not make any statement. Let’s postpone it to the 7th or 8th of the month.’ It was clear that something was being planned. Whether it would be Sheikh Maqsoud or another place was not yet clear, but there was a sense that a scheme was unfolding. After that, the threatening rhetoric toward Sheikh Maqsoud increased.”
“OFFICIALS FROM SOME STATES WERE IN DAMASCUS THE SAME DAY”
Stating that the Sheikh Maqsoud Neighborhood Council had decided to resist, Hemo said:
“Even though the SDF had withdrawn from there, we respected their decision and stood behind it. We had no choice but to take ownership of this decision to resist. Of course, many things were said. There were calls for the SDF to move and advance. It must be understood that there were multi-layered calculations involved. The issue was not only Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud. The media knows well that the attack on Sheikh Maqsoud was reported and followed not by Syrian media but by foreign media. Officials from some states were in Damascus on the same day and sent a message that they stood by them. With this support, they announced war against Sheikh Maqsoud.”
“THE ROOTS OF THIS GAME RUN VERY DEEP”
On Afrin, whose civilians were displaced at least 3 times since Turkey took Afrin in 2018, Hemo confirmed he was born in Afrin. “I am a child of Afrin. I was born there. The people paid a heavy price. In the past, people in the Jazira region did not even know where Afrin was. Now the world knows Afrin, Sheikh Maqsoud, and Ashrafieh. They achieved this through resistance. Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud proved that Kurds exist and will always exist. They united all Kurds. On this basis, I salute the stance of Bakur, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah. This stance showed that national Kurdish interests come above everything else. Media outlets with differing views began their broadcasts by commemorating the martyrs. This is something worthy of respect. This is who Kurds are. Even when we evaluate it this way, while the pain is great, and we have shortcomings—which I once again self-criticize—the gains of this resistance were also significant. I wish we had the means to prevent even a single stone from falling near the people of Afrin. Unfortunately, we live in a world full of schemes and without mercy. The roots of this game run very deep.”
“THE DRONES AND TANKS BOMBARDING SHEIKH MAQSOUD BELONGED TO TURKEY”
Responding to the question of whether the SDF could have intervened from northeast Syria, after the SDF withdrew from Aleppo in April, according to the April 1 agreement, Hemo said:
“Ziyad, Deniz, and all our other comrades are our friends. We are comrades from the same school, from the same path. Their resistance is already the resistance of the SDF. The resistance of Sheikh Maqsoud is our resistance. Sometimes it is not necessary to carry out certain interventions openly. Could we have done more? Of course, we are evaluating this. We have shortcomings, and we accept that. The criticisms from the people of Ashrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud, and Afrin are justified. Whatever we say to them would be insufficient. We will certainly offer self-criticism. However, it must be known that some interventions bring much heavier consequences. I gave some examples. For instance, one state conveyed its support for an attack on Damascus, but did not leak this to the press. I say this openly: the drones flying over Sheikh Maqsoud and all the tanks bombarding the area belonged to Turkey. They did not announce it. Sometimes there is no need to announce it.”
CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
Commenting on the latest ceasefire agreement regarding the neighborhoods, Hemo said:
“When our comrades demonstrated resistance, they were forced to reach an agreement. In exchange for the withdrawal of military forces, it was stated that the security of the neighborhood would be ensured in some manner. This promise was given. I want to say this clearly: if these intermediary forces do not fulfill their promises, we will hold them responsible for the massacres that occurred. There is also a commitment regarding the representation of the people’s will. We will see how this unfolds. We want the political will of the people of Afrin to be recognized and for them to continue to exist there with their own identity and colors.”
“SPECIAL WAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA”
Speaking about psychological warfare on social media, Hemo said:
“There is intense disinformation, lies, and distortion in digital media. We must believe in ourselves and our strength. We must support one another and stand by each other. If we do this, we can thwart these schemes being developed against the Kurds.”
“THEY WANTED TO CREATE A NEW CONFLICT BETWEEN KURDS AND ARABS”
Addressing how relations between the SDF and Damascus may evolve, Hemo the SDF will be more cautious:
“We must now be more vigilant on certain issues. With the attacks on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, they wanted to create a new conflict between Kurds and Arabs. This is a very dangerous scheme, deliberately pursued. We must remain alert. We still believe in democracy and in the will of all components living in Syria. We want to live together with all components in a democratic Syria. They attack us by claiming that we want to separate some regions. No—on the contrary, we defend a democratic Syria in which everyone lives with their own identity and will. We want to create peace and stability. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is an example for all of Syria, but they want to undermine this. We remain committed to it.”
HOW WILL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SDF AND DAMASCUS EVOLVE?
“So what happens next? No matter what kind of scheme is pursued, we insist on our position and will pursue it more strongly. We believe the model we have built can be applied across all of Syria. Yes, there were barbaric and racist attacks on Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud. However, we also know that the hearts of all components across Syria are with these two neighborhoods. Many sought to establish contact and offered support—Sunnis, Druze, Alawites, Christians. The society in Syria is not a society with which we are in contradiction.”
Regarding whether talks between the SDF and Damascus would continue, Hemo said:
“We are still experiencing our pain. We are mourning our martyrs and treating our wounded. We have not yet evaluated these issues. There will certainly be an official assessment, and whatever the correct approach is will come to the fore.”
“DEFENSE IS THE DUTY OF EVERY MEMBER OF SOCIETY”
Stressing that the struggle would continue more strongly, Hemo said:
“It has been 14–15 years. We have lost around 16,000 martyrs. Until a single member remains, we will continue to defend this people. We saw this once again through Ziyad Heleb and Deniz. Defense is not only with weapons; sometimes it is carried out through politics and wisdom. The SDF has this capacity and will fulfill this duty to the end in the Autonomous Administration regions. Our people should know that we believe in a society capable of defending itself. There is no need to see us as a separate force—we are the children of this people, of this society. Yes, we resist on the front lines, but defense is the duty of every individual in society.”
“THEY ALREADY SAID THEIR FINAL WORDS TO US”
Asked what his final message would be to Asayish commander Ziyad Halab killed in the last days of the battle and the female fighter Deniz, whose lifeless body was thrown from a balcony, Hemo said:
“I spoke with Ziyad Halab until the very last moment. His final words were, ‘If I am martyred, I apologize to everyone.’ They already said their final words to us.”