Talal Silo
© Anadolu Agency
Talal Silo former spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) revealed during his interview with the Turkish Anadolu News Agency that a US intelligence chief promised the SDF leadership that the US support will support their plans to reach the Syrian coast if they attacks ISIS in Deir Ezzor.
"If you direct towards Deir Ezzor, the U.S. will give the necessary support to provide a post towards the sea to the SDF and the Syrian Democratic Parliament," the US intelligence chief told the SDF leadership, during a meeting according to Silo.
If true, this means that the SDF and the US have not only conspired to attack the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), but also to capture strategic positions along the Syrian coast that's considered a heartland for Russia in Syria. Many Syrian pro-government activists have warned before that the US might use the SDF to fight the SAA once ISIS is defeated.

According to Silo, the SDF leadership views the city of Afrin in the northern Aleppo countryside as the "heart" of its project to reach the Syrian coast and that it fears a possible Turkish attack on it. Silo said that US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk told the SDF leadership that the US will not protect Afrin, but also does not mind if the SAA or the Russia protects it.

However, the SAA refused to protect the Afrin from any Turkish attack unless the YPG hands over the city to it, according to Silo.
"The Turkish intervention would be the end of their dreams that they traded. [Against] the case of Turkish intervention in Afrin, they wanted Russian forces. The Syrian regime wanted the raising of the Syrian flag in case of contact with the Turks. But the regime put as a prerequisite the transfer of the points that the flag was raised to the regime itself," Silo said.
When he was asked about the real goals of the SDF attack in Deir Ezzor, Silo stressed that the SDF was not aiming the oil fields, but the Syrian-Iraqi border. According to the former SDF spokesman, the SDF and the US planned to captured the cities of Mayadin and al-Bukamal plus the entire border area to cut the Damascus government off Iraq. However, Silo said that the attack was a "failure".

Moreover, Silo claimed that the SDF came under attack from the Russian Army and the SAA many times during its advance in Deir Ezzor, and that the US didn't stop those attacks. Silo also confirmed that the SDF handed over many positions on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river to the Russian Army, including CONICO gas facility.
"The US seeing that the regime is reaching those areas rapidly, mobilized the SDF. It requested from Sahin Cilo [YPG regional figure] to do this job [launch Deir Ezzor attack]. There is something that most people do not know ... Many posts that were taken, were left to the Russians. Even CONICO gas plant and the surrounding oil fields were left to the Russians. When these transfers were made, the regime and the Russians did not advance further." Silo said.
So far the SDF has not commented on Silo interview with the Anadolu Agency. Back on November 16, the SDF officially accused Turkey of pressuring through his relatives Silo to defect.