Syrian Kurds in Contact With US About Turkey's Planned Military Operation, SDC Says

"We are in contact with the United States about the planned operation and they have assured us that they are against any Turkish operation," Saker said. "They are speaking to the Turks and trying to diplomatically prevent an attack, however, beyond diplomacy, the assistance they provide is strictly related to the fight against Daesh* and this will not change."

Saker said the cooperation between the Syrian Kurds and the United States remains strong.

"It is focused on the anti-Daesh mission and countering the continuing threat of Daesh cells, while also promoting stability in liberated areas", Saker added.

The SDC noted it has received assurances from Russia that Moscow will not green light Turkey's planned military operation in the region.

"Russia has assured us that they will not give a green light to Turkey to invade and their forces have not changed. They have increased patrols in certain areas," Saker said.

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According to the official, the op by Ankara would also make it impossible to safeguard prisons on their territory, and thousands of Daesh fighters may break free.

"There are no changes [at present] but we are worried about being able to properly guard the prisoners and administer the facilities in the event of a Turkish attack", Saker said. "A Turkish invasion would destabilize the region, and would make it nearly impossible to continue to guard the Daesh prisoners. If Turkey invades, thousands of Daesh detainees may break free to terrorize the world once again."Saker shared that the SDF currently have some 11,000 foreign fighters in detention centers throughout northeast Syria.

At the same time, he said that the Syrian Kurds cooperate militarily with Damascus for the sole purpose of maintaining the state's sovereignty as well as its unity against Turkey.

"Our relations with Damascus remain strictly military," Saker stated. "We seek to meet with all Syrian political actors to reach a political solution, but the Damascus government does not want to meet and discuss political negotiations right now."

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said earlier that Ankara stood ready to undertake a new military operation in northern Syria that could begin at any moment. The Syrian government has repeatedly called the presence of Turkish forces in the border area or inside Syria illegal and has urged Ankara to withdraw its troops.

The armed conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, with different insurgent groups, including terrorist organizations, fighting the Syrian Army to oust the government of President Bashar Assad. In late 2017, the Islamic State was declared defeated in Syria and Iraq, but counterterrorism mop-up operations are still underway.

In this Sept. 8, 2019, photo, Turkish and American armored vehicles conduct the first joint patrol in the so-called "safe zone" on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey near Tal Abyad, Syria

The US government backs Kurdish armed groups located in Syria despite protests from the Syrian government. The US military currently controls parts of the provinces of Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir Ez-Zor, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located.

The Syrian government does not recognize the so-called autonomous administration of northern and eastern Syria, and calls the presence of the US military on its territory an occupation and state piracy as it steals Syrian oil.

Daesh, also known as ISIS\IS\Islamic state is a terror group, banned in Russia and many other countries