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Syrian Kurdish commander slams US response to Turkish attacks as US diplomats evacuated from Syria

The United States' top ally in Syria warned that unless Washington and the Kremlin push back more firmly Turkey will launch a ground offensive against his forces that will further undermine the battle against the Islamic State.
DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

The United States’ chief partner in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria said he has credible intelligence that Turkey is preparing a ground invasion of Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria in keeping with Ankara’s threats.

Mazlum Kobane, also known as Mazlum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, told a news conference via Zoom that Turkey was gathering forces around the Kurdish-controlled towns of Manbij and Kobani and that Turkish-backed Sunni opposition fighters were building up between Manbij and Tell Rifaat. Speaking through a translator, Kobane vowed that his forces were “ready to repel the attacks and to defend our lands.”

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