Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria urges 'unity' as Turkey presses assault

The Kurdish-led administration says it is willing to "unite" with the new administration in Damascus, as it raises the flag of the opposition in the territories it controls in northeastern Syria.

Northeastern Syria, which is controlled by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and their US-backed affiliate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been under attack by Turkish forces since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday.

In the city of Manbij, the SDF has been largely routed by Turkish forces, with the SDF-backed military council forced to retreat.

Fighting is ongoing around the Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates, southeast of Manbij, with aid groups expressing alarm and warning that damage to the dam could have catastrophic consequences.

"There are major battles there right now," said Siyamend Ali, head of the YPG press office.

"The Manbij military council is trying to defend itself, but Turkish warplanes are bombing the bridge and the dam with tens of bombs, and are targeting the SDF.”

Turkey considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an armed group that has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984.

Although the US considers the PKK a terrorist organisation, the Americans have provided support to the SDF in their fight against the Islamic State group, who they largely drove out of northeastern Syria.

Ali told Middle East Eye that when rebel forces were marching through Syria capturing territory from Assad last week, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) split off en route to Damascus and targeted them instead.

"Ever since, we have been fighting intense battles and the Turkish state has used its entire army and weaponry against us," he explained.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Northeast Syria NGO Forum urged Turkey and the SDF to cease fighting around the Tishreen Dam.

They said the collapse of the dam could lead to the loss of lives and livelihoods of up to one million people in the downstream subdistricts and damage agricultural lands. The collapse of the dam could also leave large sections of northern Syria without electricity.

Syrian flags raised

The fighting comes as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the SDF-backed administration in the region, announced it would be raising the three-starred flag of the Syrian opposition in its territories.

In a statement on X, it said raising the flag was a signal of the "victory of the Syrian people’s will and the overthrow of the repressive regime" and that it reaffirmed "unity and national identity".

Since the war in Syria began in 2011 the relationship between the YPG (later SDF) and the Syrian opposition has been mixed, often coming to blows and occasionally working together.

'There are some understandings between us and HTS, through the Americans, but we did not reach direct negotiations or discussions yet'

- Siyamend Ali, YPG

Following Assad's overthrow, however, the SDF's leadership has expressed a willingness to work with the new government in Damascus led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Ali said the YPG was willing to work with any of the actors in Syria - even having reached out to Turkey without success - in the interest of reaching a new consensus.

“There are some understandings between us and HTS, through the Americans, but we did not reach direct negotiations or discussions yet," he said.

“Today, we extend our hand to the Damascus government to unite and form a new government that serves all Syrians.”

Turkish television channels reported that intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was in Damascus on Thursday.

Footage showed him leaving the Syrian capital's Umayyad mosque surrounded by a tight security detail.

Foreign observers have urged Turkey - as well as Israel, which is currently advancing in southern Syria - not disrupt the process of transition.

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday said the transition was at risk of being "torpedoed from the outside" by the two countries, even though she acknowledged the "security interests" of both.

The UN has also warned against Syria's neighbours "encroaching" on its territory and taking advantage of the security vacuum.

Ali warned that the current period was "sensitive" for Syria.

"The international focus is on Damascus and HTS, and Turkey wants to exploit this chance to take over the largest amount of lands, or to weaken the SDF and AANES," he said.