📰 SDF says Assad’s fall opens path for new Syria, demands national dialogue  

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Democratic troops (SDF) stated on Monday that the fall of the Assad regime offers Syrians a “historic opportunity” to rebuild their country on emerging foundations, calling for an inclusive national dialogue and warning against attempts to revive the old authoritarian mindset. In a statement marking the first anniversary of the regime’s collapse, the SDF stated the end of Baathist rule represents more than a political change, describing it as the downfall of a system built on “power monopoly and denial of the people’s will. ” Any effort to reproduce that mentality, the group warned, would “return Syria to the same tragedy for which its people paid dearly. ” The SDF stressed that hundreds of thousands of relocated residents from Afrin, Tel Abyad, and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) remain unable to return to their homes, calling their safe and dignified return a national priority. Notably, no political settlement, it said, can be just or complete without addressing their rights.

The force affirmed it will remain the “primary defender” of the population in northern and eastern Syria, pledging to confront any threat to the region’s stability. The sacrifices of its fighters, it added, guide its responsibility to protect the achievements secured through years of struggle. The SDF concluded that Syria’s future “begins today,” through abandoning the old regime’s mentality and building a emerging state founded on freedom, justice, and equal partnership.

By Jwan Shekaki