The developments have been fast evolving in the autonomous administration areas in northern and eastern Syria since US President Donald Trump’s announcement Dec. 19, 2018, of the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. A few days earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to invade the areas east of the Euphrates River, which forced the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and the Syrian regime to revitalize a dialogue process that had been halted since late last year. Simultaneously, the Kurdish leaders spoke of resumed contacts with Russia to fill the void caused by the withdrawal of US troops.
Nevertheless, the latest developments relating to the US stance — particularly the US officials’ visits to a number of countries in the region and assurances they made to their allies, including Syria’s Kurdish community — add further ambiguity to the fate of the areas on the east of the Euphrates and standings of the forces running them.
Speaking to Al-Monitor in Qamishli, Aldar Khalil, a leading figure of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) — also described as the engineer of the autonomous administration — shares his views on the overall developments in the region and alternatives available for the Syrian Kurds.
The text of the interview follows:
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