US Should Warn Kurds Before Pulling Out of Syria, SDC Representative Says
00:47 GMT 10.09.2021 (Updated: 09:06 GMT 10.02.2023)
© AFP 2023 / DELIL SOULEIMAN
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States should warn the Syrian Kurds if it makes a decision to withdraw from the country, and carry out such a pullout step by step, Syrian Democratic Council Representative in the United States and member of the Presidential Committee, Bassam Saker, told Sputnik.
Last week, Iran's Al-Alam news outlet reported, citing a military source, that US forces left three bases inside Syria, including a post near al-Omar oilfield in the Deir Ez-Zor province.
Later, A Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik that the reports about US troops leaving military posts in Syria are not true, adding that the military's mission in that country has not changed.
"They [the United States] say they will stay until they finish the fight against the ISIS [Daesh*]," he said. "But we don't know if they will stay or not… If they want to leave, it should be step by step, not immediately, and they should warn us before."
Saker added that if the US forces leave it will affect the security situation in Syria as it will create "an empty place," and stressed that he still believes that the Americans will stay until they finish the fight against Daesh, the Al Hol camp, the matter with thousands of the detainees held by the Syrian Democratic Forces as well as the political solution to the conflict.
"We know that sooner or later they will leave. But we wish that they will stay until we finish this fight against ISIS, until we find final solution for political process in Syria," Saker said. "We wish that. They are only a few soldiers there. We don't want them to be there forever, of course. Only when we finish the political process. They will leave, it is their real choice and their decision, it's not ours."
Saker added that they are aware that the Americans are pushing the countries to take their detainees back.
"They should finish this issue with these detainees," he said. "They should finish with the Al Hol camp. Because, you know, it is like a bomb. They should solve this problem before they leave. It’s a very serious problem and it's a threat not only for us, it is a threat for the whole world. That's why the Americans, the Russians should collaborate together and to solve this problem. On sleeping cells. I believe, it takes time to solve this problem but when you do better life, the people will change, they will never follow this ISIS."
Saker praised the current cooperation with the Biden administration, but noted that the lack of Saker stressed that the Syrian Kurds would like Washington to keep the same support for them, both in fighting the Daesh and stabilization efforts.
The Syrian authorities have repeatedly stated that the US presence in the country violates the country's sovereignty and international law, and is aimed at gaining access to the oil fields.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
