No ceasefire between Turkiye and US-backed SDF in Syria, Ankara says

There is no talk of a ceasefire deal between Turkiye and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, contrary to a US announcement, a Turkish Defence Ministry official said yesterday, according to Reuters.

The State Department had said a ceasefire around the city of Manbij was extended until the end of this week.

“As Turkiye, it is out of the question for us to have talks with any terrorist organisation. The [US] statement must be a slip of the tongue,” the Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The SDF blamed Turkiye for “opposing international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.”

“The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries did not abide by this decision and continue their attacks on the southern front of the city of Kobani,” it said in a statement, vowing to keep fighting and urging people in Kobani to carry arms.

According to the Reuters report, Washington brokered an initial ceasefire between the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and the SDF last week after fighting broke out as rebel groups overthrew Bashar Al-Assad.

The SDF is an ally in the US coalition against Islamic State. It is spearheaded by the YPG, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which launched an armed struggle against the Turkish Government in 1984 in order to create a Kurdish state on Turkish territory.

Turkiye regards the PKK, YPG and SDF as terrorist groups.

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