Turkey Requests Germany, US To Detain, Extradite Senior Kurdish Commander - Cavusoglu

Turkey has asked Germany and the United States to detain and extradite Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Kobani, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2019) Turkey has asked Germany and the United States to detain and extradite Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Kobani, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

"We quickly asked for the arrest and extradition of the so-called commander of the YPG [People's Protection Units, a military wing of the SDF], a PKK [Kurdistan Worker's Party] member terrorist, Ferhat Abdi Shahin [code-named Mazloum Kobani], from relevant states to our country after media reports that he will travel to the United States and Germany," Cavusoglu said, speaking at a budget meeting in the Turkish parliament, as quoted by Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper.

On October 25, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said that if the SDF commander stepped on US soil, Ankara would contact US officials to demand the militant's extradition, as instructed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,.

According to Ankara, the Syrian Kurdish-led forces are affiliated with the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey. On October 9, Ankara launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria against the Kurdish militia and terrorists of the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia).

The military operation followed the United States' withdrawal from the area, which was met with criticism from the Kurdish-led forces who had appreciated the support.