Is this a threat? It certainly could be perceived as one. Link
Turkey's aggression in northern Syria and the West's unwillingness to repatriate its foreign fighters could lead to a 'spectacular' ISIS attack on Western soil, a top Kurdish general has warned. General Mazloum Kobane, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that a combination of current events have created ideal conditions for the terrorist group to bounce back.
A 'spectacular' terrorist attack in a Western city could be just around the corner, he said.
'It's one of the expected things that may happen in the future,' he added.
"It's one of those expected things" Not a possibility but an expectation? Interesting wording. Sounds like a threat when stated that way.
Kurdish forces, who have been guarding 5,000 'extremely dangerous' imprisoned jihadists in jails across Syria, say they cannot keep the militants guarded on an ongoing basis.
Kurdish forces cannot keep the militants guarded? Why can't they? They have the US embedded alongside them. They have France and German support. As well as Israeli.What's the problem in keeping them guarded?
The changing balance in Syria means that the future is uncertain, Kobane said.
The SDF general, who has held direct phone calls with US President Donald Trump and European leaders, said the release of the fighters would affect a number of countries, not just Syria and Iraq.
Europe should take back their fighters... Go and get them. That would solve the problem. But they are choosing not to. Why? Looks to me as if they want them to stay right where the are. In Iraq and Syria. Where they are most useful.Mazloum Kobani (nom de guerre) has been mentioned here previously- Let's take a better look at who this man really is: Our Kurdish Hero.... The Terrorist?: Scott Ritter Mr Ritter has written a carefully crafted presentation. Spin isn't my thing, so, we're cutting to the chase.The leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, General Mazloum Abdi.
" In the past month, the name and image of General Mazloum Adbi, the commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, has become well known to Americans. The decision by President Trump to precipitously withdraw U.S. forces from northeastern Syria, thereby greenlighting a Turkish military incursion which targeted Mazloum and his forces, prompted a widespread discussion about the American “abandonment” of its Kurdish allies, and General Mazloum quickly became the face of the Kurds.
The U.S. Department of State designated the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act; in 2001 the U.S. Government followed up by designating the PKK as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity pursuant to Executive Order 13224. These designations were designed to restrict fundraising opportunities by denying the PKK access to U.S. financial systems, as well as facilitate the capture and prosecution of persons affiliated with the PKK.
If the United States were to engage in a train and equip program with the YPG, the Department of Defense would run afoul of U.S. law, 18 U.S. Code sections 2339B and 2339A, prohibiting the provision of material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations.
As the saying goes, therein lies the rub; in order to defeat ISIS, the United States would need to ally itself with a terrorist group it was prohibited by law from doing so. Moreover, it would need to provide weapons and training to an organization which had, over the course of 30-plus years, killed tens of thousands of Turks through hundreds of terrorist actions.
From its very inception, the U.S.-SDF relationship was a study in contradiction and controversy. The sleight of hand rebranding ploy by the U.S. was a transparent gimmick that fooled no-one; (I'd argue it fooled all those that wanted to be fooled and wanted to fool their audiences. Names have already been named) when the elite soldiers of the YPG’s anti-terrorism force (YAT) started using expensive U.S.-made equipment, such as night-vision goggles and specially fitted out M-4 assault weapons, the Pentagon was quick to note that it had not provided the equipment, since that would violate U.S. law (the equipment instead made its way to the Kurds via a circuitous route that by-passed Congressional oversight.)
Moreover, the U.S. backtracked from its assurances that it would recover the weapons it had supplied to the SDF, extending the timeline until it became obvious to all the weapons were there to stay.
Most problematic of all was the fact that the U.S., through its interaction with the SDF, was working closely with personalities the Turks reviled as senior leadership figures within the PKK, including General Abdi. While the Turks were able to turn a blind eye to this cozy relationship, when the Kurds proclaimed their own autonomous region within Syria, which they called Rojava, in May 2016, the Turks were quick to condemn both it and the U.S.-Kurdish military relationship. (after the coup attempt)Abdi, whose real name is Ferhad Abdi Şahin, participated in PKK attacks on Turkish villages and military outposts in the mid- to late-1990’s which killed dozens of Turkish civilians and soldiers.
After serving as a PKK fundraiser in Europe, Mazloum returned to northern Iraq where he commanded PKK special operations forces who were responsible for dozens of violent attacks against targets inside Turkey. In 2011 the Turks petitioned Interpol to issue a Red Notice on Mazloum, designating him as a top tier terrorist who should be detained on sight. Mazloum returned to Syria in 2013 to take command of the YPG.
Today General Abdi finds himself feted by President Trump, Congress and the U.S. media for his role in defeating ISIS and killing al-Baghdadi. Trump has indicated a desire to meet General Mazloum, while Senator Lindsay Graham has pushed the State Department to help expedite a visa so Abdi can travel to the United States. For its part, Turkey has drawn up a formal request that the United States arrest General Mazloum, citing the Interpol Red Notice, and extradite him to Turkey to face justice. In a world where hypocrisy and double standards are more commonplace than consistent application of the rule of law, the American relationship with General Mazloum—our man in Rojava—stands out: to wage a war against terror, the United States has allied with a man who, by any measure, meets the definition of terrorist. Consistency has never been the forte of American diplomacy, yet in the coming weeks and months the U.S. will have to decide whether it values its relationship with Turkey, a NATO ally, over a man the Turks revile as a terrorist, and yet has provided the U.S. with yeoman’s service in the fight against ISIS.
Ritter presents the official narrative about fighting ISIS. That's rubbish. Stinkin' rotting rubbish in my opinion. As for his claim about consistency not being the forte of American diplomacy. Bullbiscuits to that as well! The US has shown a consistent willingness to work with terrorists- Going back to Afghanistan. Kosovo etc., To believe otherwise it to believe in a contrived reality that is far, far, far from truth. The very fact that the US engaged, armed, and fought alongside a known terrorist/terror group tells us all we need to know about their standards.