General Mazloum Abdi has hardly sat down when he is called out of the room again.

He apologizes.

“These are challenging times.

I'll be back in ten minutes," he says.

The "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF), which Mazloum commands and which controls large parts of north-eastern Syria, are preparing for a new war.

The general discussed the situation with the SDF leadership late into the night.

Because Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced a new offensive to establish, as he said, a "security zone" along the Turkish-Syrian border.

It should reach thirty kilometers into Syrian territory – Erdogan wants to settle Syrian refugees from his country there.

Christopher Ehrhardt

Correspondent for the Arab countries based in Beirut.

  • Follow I follow

The presence of the SDF has been a thorn in the side of the Turkish head of state for years.

The force is dominated by Kurdish "People's Defense Forces" (YPG) loyal to Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK, which has waged guerrilla warfare against Ankara for decades.

The United States provided the Kurdish guerrillas with money and weapons to fight the "Islamic State" (IS) on the ground.

They proved themselves in the war against the jihadists, at great cost.

The SDF played a key role in erasing the terrorist pseudo-caliphate from the map of Syria.

At the same time, the Syrian supporters of Öcalan secured their own empire along the border.

Mazloum is revered here in "Rojava" as a hero and savior.

He is "one from the mountains", as the people from the region call staunch PKK supporters and cadres.

The SDF commander himself denies the close ties between the YPG and the PKK.

But the streetscape already contradicts him.

Öcalan's portraits are omnipresent.

They are part of the standard equipment in the offices, and are emblazoned in huge numbers on grain silos or on traffic islands.

PKK cadres have set up a shadowy realm in the autonomous administration, whose excessive bureaucracy also breathes their spirit.

Mazloum's father was a close confidante of Öcalan, and the SDF commander is described as the PKK leader's "spiritual foster son".

More vacation resort than military base

The SDF also includes tens of thousands of non-Kurdish fighters.

For Erdogan, they are all "terrorists".

Turkish artillery shells regularly hit the north-east Syrian border area.

Turkish threats like the current one are also nothing new.

Last fall there was already speculation about a Turkish military operation.

But tensions have increased.

Recently, not a day has gone by without reports of Turkish shelling.

"We see a clear escalation," says Mazloum Abdi.

"Also with regard to the activities of Turkish drones." The secret service, he adds, has knowledge of logistical preparations.

The SDF commander must always fear becoming the target of an attack himself.

Erdogan has put a price on his head.

Mazloum's people therefore only reveal the location of the meeting shortly beforehand.

It's a secluded property with a swimming pool, the appearance of which is more reminiscent of a holiday resort than a military base – were it not for the hooded guards and the volleys of target practice breaking the silence.

"Turkey always wants to attack," says General Mazloum.

Only the international situation is “complicated” for Ankara.

He regularly receives American diplomats and military officials.

Washington has spoken out clearly against the invasion.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, addressing his NATO ally earlier this month, said: "The concern we have is that any new offensive would undermine regional stability and allow malicious actors to exploit the instability."