Syrian Democratic Forces is PKK's 'sheath': ex-official

By Mohamad Misto

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - A former senior official of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has accused the group of being a “sheath” of the PKK terrorist organization.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in an interview, Abdulkarim al-Ubaid, who spoke on condition that his location is not revealed, said though he served as a senior SDF executive, he did not have a say in the group’s decision-making process.

In October 2015, the PYD -- the PKK’s Syrian wing -- brought small groups of Arab fighters to form the SDF, promising to share weapons and logistics offered by the United States.

Ubaid, whose al-Tahrir Brigade was part of the SDF until three weeks ago, said they were pressured by PYD/PKK militants when Arabs sought to gain control of their own lands. As a result of that pressure, they broke away from the SDF.

“The PKK dominates the SDF; the decisions are being taken by the [terrorist] organization,” he said.

“The PKK does not only dominate the SDF but also the PYD,” Ubaid stressed.

He insisted the groups composing the SDF were just a facade and that the SDF was just a “sheath” used by the PKK “to conceal their separatist goals and gain legitimacy in the territory they control”.

Ubaid said one SDF commander -- Sahin Culu -- is a senior PKK commander.

He went on to note that Es-Sanadid forces and al-Tahrir Brigades -- two SDF factions -- were given a backseat within the force.

"SDF commanders were annoyed by the sympathy the al-Tahrir Brigade gained in Tel Abyad,” he said. “They responded to our efforts to establish an Arab front -- with a view to building a balance between these forces -- by putting pressure on us.”

"That is why we had to retreat," Ubaid said.

- ‘Greater Kurdistan’

The former SDF official said PKK commanders, acting as SDF members, wanted to head towards Turkey after establishing a power base in Syria.

"They explicitly said that they wanted to put the Greater Kurdistan project ... into practice after first setting up the Syrian Kurdistan by forming cantons in the north of the country [Syria],” he added.

Ubaid also said many young people from Kurdish-populated areas were sent to the mountains in Turkey for armed training.

The former SDF official said PKK members who have come from Qandil Mountain (near the Iraq-Iran border) lead the cantons created by the PYD.

"Al-Hasakah canton, ruled by a PKK member named Karazan, is an example of this. Many of the regions under PYD control are not Kurdish areas," he said.

Ubaid underlined that many of Kurdish families who lost children in clashes were not comfortable with Qandil’s rule.

- US directs SDF

Ubaid said the U.S. is aware of everything about the SDF and is directing the force.

“The only disagreement between them is Manbij [an Aleppo district],” he said. "While the U.S. prefers to attack Daesh-controlled Raqqah [in northern Syria], the PKK leaders insist on attacking Manbij," he said.

Ubaid denied claims about the withdrawal of PYD forces from Manbij. "These elements are still in the city center,” he said.

About the PYD-PKK policy towards Arabs, Ubaid said: "There are breaches in the areas under the control of PYD."

"Arabs in these areas were subjected to an unprecedented relocation. People in Raqqah and Hasakah’s countryside were all forced to emigrate,” Ubaid added.​