Posted on 09/26/2017 5:55:42 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
RAQQA, Syria — Mazlum Kobane is the chief commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and, as such, the chief interlocutor of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS). The 45-year-old commander, widely known as Gen. Mazlum, is at the helm of the campaign to retake Raqqa, the self-styled capital of IS, which is in its final stages. Kobane, who displays an avid interest in politics beyond his military skills, has earned himself fame in Washington, where his name is frequently mentioned at various panels.
Coalition officials who know Kobane are full of praise for the SDF commander, who has been in close contact with Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition, and US military commanders, much to the frustration of Ankara, which insists he belongs to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). According to some coalition officials, Kobane is acting independently from the PKK — which is listed as a terrorist organization by both Turkey and the United States — and might even turn his back completely on the group down the road.
(Excerpt) Read more at al-monitor.com ...
I don't know the commander, but what he said in the interview mirrors what I've been told about Syrian Kurds since my first exposure. Watching reports about the Siege of Kobane beginning in September 2014 was where I was first exposed.
This interview is based in reality. Please read the article.
(I often post entire articles from al Monitor, but this author is based in the US and married to a State Department employee, so I excerpted it.)
OK, I read the whole article, and my take is that Kobane would do well to watch his back.
I’m sure he does. It is a tough block there.
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