US military officials confirmed that the commander-in-chief of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazlum Kobane, was targeted in a drone strike in the Iraqi Kurdish province of Sulaimaniyah Friday. Three US military personnel were in the convoy with Kobane at the time of the attack, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. There were no casualties, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Col. Joe Buccino told Al-Monitor.
CENTCOM's account of the incident contradicted an earlier statement by SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami who insisted via Twitter that the reports concerning an attack on Kobane were “fake news” that were “intended as political blackmail against some forces in southern [Iraqi] Kurdistan.”
The Journal reported that Western officials believe that the drone strike close to Sulaimaniyah International Airport was carried out by Turkey. Ankara has yet to formally comment, but Turkey has been targeting senior SDF officials with drones inside northeast Syria on the grounds that they are linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the militant group that is fighting the Turkish army for Kurdish autonomy from its bases inside Iraqi Kurdistan. Numerous PKK commanders have been killed in such attacks both in Syria and in Iraq.
Local officials said the blast occurred near the perimeter of the airport at 4:18 p.m. local time, causing no material damage or casualties. A fire caused by the explosion was extinguished.
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