Senior Kurdish Commander: "The Attack on Rojava Is a Coordinated Plot Approved by Regional and Global Powers"

In an exclusive interview broadcast on Sterk TV, senior Kurdish commander Murat Karayılan warned of a coordinated and far-reaching plan behind the recent wave of attacks against Kurdish-controlled regions in northeastern Syria, particularly Rojava. Karayılan labeled the military offensives launched on January 6 — beginning in Aleppo and expanding across Kurdish-led areas — as "part of a comprehensive conspiracy" aimed at excluding Kurds from the new regional order.

Speaking to the Fırat News Agency (ANF), Karayılan stated, “This plan has been approved by regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and even Jordan, alongside international actors like the United States, Britain, Germany, and France. In this new regional design, there is no place for the Kurds.” He compared the current scenario to the post-World War I Sykes-Picot Agreement and the tragic fate of the short-lived Kurdish Republic of Mahabad following World War II, insisting that the current offensive seeks to make Rojava “a second Mahabad.”

According to Karayılan, the attacks are not isolated but part of a larger geopolitical strategy to reshape the Middle East, once again excluding Kurdish political and military structures. He accused the Turkish state, along with extremist factions such as HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) and remnants of ISIS, of executing the plan on the ground, with logistical and political backing from both regional powers and Western nations.

Citing meetings between international stakeholders — including a January 5 meeting in Paris reportedly involving the U.S., Israel, and indirect participation from Turkey through Syria — Karayılan said the offensive began almost immediately afterward, indicating prior coordination. He suggested the QSD (Syrian Democratic Forces), composed of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and Syriacs, were deliberately sidelined from negotiations and future plans for Syria’s governance.

“The Kurdish people, who fought and died to liberate over 30% of Syrian territory from ISIS, are now being excluded from the peace process and future political arrangements,” said Karayılan. “Instead, a Salafi-led state centered on HTS leader Jolani in Damascus is being envisioned.”

Karayılan criticized Arab tribal leaders who have shifted allegiances based on changing geopolitical winds, while emphasizing that many Arab fighters remain loyal to the QSD cause. He dismissed the notion that QSD was “sold out” by the U.S.-led coalition, stating that the relationship was tactical in nature and that Western powers had abandoned their democratic values by empowering jihadist elements over indigenous democratic structures.

The commander issued a call for Kurdish unity, warning that the failure to organize will leave Kurds vulnerable in a hostile new regional order. “If they had intended to include Kurds, they would have done so already. Rojava had a more advanced and inclusive system than anything HTS has built,” he warned.

Karayılan also underscored the urgency of lifting the siege on Kobane and establishing a permanent humanitarian and logistical corridor between Kobane and the Jazira regions. He called on the international community, especially human rights organizations and pro-democracy actors, to pressure for aerial observation to prevent massacres.

“To protect Kobane,” he concluded, “we must believe in our own strength while also mobilizing global public opinion. Without this, Kobane will remain under constant threat.”