The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 for various forms of Kurdish self-rule.
The majority of the SDF forces, however, is made up of Arabs who Turkey hopes will join forces with Syria’s new leadership.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that a Turkish drone had struck a military site on Kobani's Mishtanour Hill.
It is an existential moment for DAANES as it faces the prospect of being collapsed by the Turkish military and Sunni opposition factions.
The pair enjoyed a close relationship with the PKK leader when he was still based in Syria with the Assad regime’s blessing.
Turkey’s support for the group remains vital and Ankara will undoubtedly prevail on Golani to not engage with the SDF unless the PKK is excised from Syria.
Access to Syria’s oil wealth that is concentrated in areas under Kurdish control will be a key talking point going forward. »