SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami had initially denied reports that Abdi was the target of a suspected Turkish drone attack. In his statement on Saturday, he said the denial was a deliberate move to ensure Abdi’s safety until he arrived back in northeast Syria (Rojava).
“As part of our emergency security response related to the safety of our forces' command, we deliberately restricted the release of information about the Turkish attack on Sulaymaniyah airport, where our Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, was present,” Shami tweeted.
In his own statement, Abdi did not confirm he was the target, but he did assign blame. "We strongly condemn the targeting of Sulaimani airport by Turkey,” he said in reply to a tweet from Bafel Talabani, leader of Sulaimani’s ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
“These violations continue in Iraq and Syria and have serious implications for the region,” added Abdi without confirming that he was the target. Turkey regularly carries out drone strikes against alleged PKK targets in the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria, as well as ground invasions in both countries.
What does it take to get the US to condemn #Turkey? I fear these attacks - with impunity - are creating a dangerously emboldened Turkey.
— Nadine Maenza (@nadinemaenza) April 7, 2023
If an attack on a convoy with US personnel is not crossing the line, what is? https://t.co/yPS2GDjBtl