Syria’s Jolani Vows To Disarm The Pentagon-Backed Kurds

The career jihadist and leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Damascus on Sunday, in a first since the overthrow of Assad earlier this month.

Jolani, who now goes by his birth name of Ahmed al-Sharaa, was sporting a suit and tie for the first time as the PR effort to convince the world of his supposed ‘moderation’ continues. One of the more interesting moments from Sunday’s presser came when Jolani put the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on notice.

Two important things from Turkey’s Fidan, HTS leader Jolani presser:

Jolani says they won’t allow any armed groups or factions in Syria, that includes US-backed SDF.

• Fidan also said HTS is ready to take over ISIS prisoner camps and guard them

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Jolani emphasized that all weapons in Syria will come under state control. He declared that all armed “factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter the army.” Given that Assad’s former Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is no longer in existence, this means HTS is working on establishing a national military under its command.

In the remarks alongside the top Turkish diplomat, Jolani directly called out the Kurdish-dominated SDF, which has for years been trained and armed by the Pentagon:

“We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area,” he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Turkey views the main component of the US-backed force, which controls swathes of north and northeast Syria, as being linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), its outlawed domestic foe.

The “SDF area” of control is in reference to the Deir Ezzor and Hasakeh regions (east of the Euphrates) in the country’s northeast, where the country’s oil and gas fields are located. Currently the SDF is battling a Turkish offensive near the northern border area.

The Turkish FM of course responded favorably to Jolani’s talk of disarming and disbanding the Kurdish factions: “Türkiye’s foreign minister said after meeting Syria’s de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria’s future, calling for the YPG militia to disband,” a regional source said.

It was obvious from the start that Turkish intelligence was a main player backing the HTS blitz across Syria which quickly led to the collapse of the Assad government, and now it’s clear that Jolani will in turn do Turkey’s bidding.

A main goal of Erdogan’s policy in Syria has remained to squeeze out US forces, so that Turkey can eventually stomp out the Syrian Kurds in the process.

Jolani’s provocative pledge of disarming the Syrian Kurds while standing next to the Turkish FM sends a clear message of what the agenda is concerning the near future northeast battle theatre. 

It is also important to note that the Syrian Kurds (YPG/SDF) have long battled the jihadists of al-Nusra Front/HTS and other hardline Islamic factions throughout the war.