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Syrian Kurdish commander says Kobani likely target of threatened Turkish ground offensive

Following Turkish airstrikes on his headquarters in northeast Syria, SDF commander Mazlum Kobane spoke with Al-Monitor about Erdogan's threats of a new ground offensive.

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), gives a press conference near the northeastern Syrian Hassakeh province on October 24, 2019.
Mazlum Kobane (Mazloum Abdi), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, gives a press conference near the northeastern Syrian Hassakeh province on Oct. 24, 2019. — AFP via Getty Images

In his first interview with international media following Tuesday's drone strike on his main headquarters in northeast Syria, Mazlum Kobane (also known as Mazloum Abdi), the commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that the most likely target of a potential Turkish ground offensive against the Kurdish-controlled areas would be his native city of Kobani. 

Two members of the US-backed group died in that attack, which marks the first time a Turkish drone has targeted an area in such close proximity of a US base in Syria.

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