DAMASCUS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said Tuesday that his forces are willing to propose a "demilitarized zone" in the border city of Kobani in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

He made the remarks on the social media platform X, expressing SDF's readiness to establish a buffer area in Kobani, with the redeployment of security forces under U.S. supervision and presence. This move, he said, aims to "address Turkish security concerns and ensure lasting stability in the region."

In a separate statement, the SDF accused Türkiye of preparing an offensive against Kobani, claiming that Turkish forces and allied fighters have massed heavy weapons near the city. The U.S.-backed Kurdish forces have withdrawn from Manbij, a strategic city in northern Aleppo province that they had controlled since capturing it from Islamic State in 2016.

Türkiye, citing concerns over Kurdish fighters near its southern border, has long expressed interest in pushing those forces away from frontier regions.

Since 2016, Ankara has conducted several military operations in northern Syria, seizing extensive border territory. Enditem

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