ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Thursday reaffirmed its partnership with Washington, expressing gratitude to a veteran statesman who condemned the “egregious acts” committed by Damascus forces against the Kurdish community in Aleppo, and to another prominent senator who warned of a “stronger reaction” if Syrian forces advance further against “our Kurdish allies.”
In a statement on X, Elham Ahmed, a senior official from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) in Rojava, expressed gratitude to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch and influential US Senator Lindsey Graham “for your critical support."
“Your clear messages give us hope that our partnership and sacrifices will not be forgotten,” the co-chair of foreign relations for the DAANES said, adding, “We deeply appreciate your steadfast support for your [Kurdish] allies in our darkest hours.”
The top Rojava official further noted that "the interim Syrian government is demanding we dismantle our defense structures while simultaneously launching brutal and cruel attacks against Kurdish people in Aleppo," affirming, "We remain committed to dialogue, but Syria’s transition cannot come at the expense of Kurdish people and other minorities who fought alongside [the United States of America against [the Islamic State] ISIS."
Ahmed’s remarks came in response to a statement from Risch, who on Tuesday condemned the desecration of a Kurdish female fighter by Damascus-affiliated militants, who executed her, threw her lifeless body from a building, and hurled insults.
The desecration occurred amid a military operation by the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups to expel the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) from Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighborhoods last week, killing around 100 people and displacing roughly 150,000. The Asayish had been securing the two quarters for nearly 15 years.
Risch said he was “gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces in Aleppo, Syria, over the past week,” and urged the Syrian interim government to “hold accountable those who committed these egregious acts.”
“After years of war, the role of Syria’s new government and armed forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them,” Risch emphasized.
For his part, influential US Senator Graham on Wednesday reshared Risch’s post, stating, “I fully endorse and support Senator Risch’s call for calm in Syria, putting the new Syrian government on notice that human rights abuses against minorities will not be tolerated.”
Shortly after a ceasefire was declared in Aleppo’s Kurdish areas on Sunday, the Syrian army’s Operations Command on Tuesday designated the eastern Aleppo towns of Deir Hafer and Maskanah as “closed military zones.”
These towns are controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an affiliate of the Asayish, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava. The SDF is also the primary on-the-ground partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, playing a central role in the extremist group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
Crucially, seizing the eastern Aleppo areas would allow Damascus and its allied factions to open a logistical corridor connecting Aleppo to Raqqa province in north-central Syria, while also enabling increased military pressure on the SDF in key positions along the Euphrates River.
Senator Graham said Wednesday, “Most disturbing of all is that I’m receiving what I believe to be credible reports that Syrian army forces and Turkey may be advancing further against our Kurdish allies - a move that I believe would prompt a strong response from the United States.”
He added, “While I support giving this new Syrian government a chance, I will not tolerate or accept a brazen attack against our Kurdish allies,” concluding, “To the Syrian government and Turkey: choose wisely.”