Talal Silo

Talal Ali Silo (طلال سلو; also transliterated Telal Silo, Talal Sallou) is a Syrian Turkmen[3] military personnel who was the official Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson from 2014 until his surrender or defection[4] to Turkey in November 2017, covering major SDF operations and battles against the militant group ISIL.[5][6] His departure marked the first major defection among the SDF's top ranks.[3]

Talal Silo
طلال سلو
Silo in 2016
Birth nameTalal Ali Silo
طلال علي سلو
Born1965 (age 57–58)[1]
Al-Rai, Syria[2]
Allegiance
Service/branchSyrian Armed Forces (1985–2004)
RankColonel
Unit
Commands heldSpokesman of the Syrian Democratic Forces (2015–17)
Commander of the Seljuk Brigade (2013–15)
Battles/warsSyrian Civil War

During an interview, he alleged that during the SDF capture of Raqqa from ISIL, thousands of ISIL fighters—many more than first reported—left the city under a secret U.S.-approved deal. However, US officials described Silo's comments as “false and contrived”.[7] The deal is argued as a strategic move by the SDF and coalition forces.[8] The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) have presented different versions of the reasons behind Silo's departure - reflecting the complexities of the Syrian Civil War.[3]

See also

References
  1. "US-backed SDF spox Talal Sillo defects from PKK-aligned group, crosses into Turkey". Daily Sabah. 15 November 2017.
  2. "Find out about the biography of the spokesperson of "QSD" Col. Talal Sallou". Buyer Press. 31 August 2016.
  3. Najjar, Farah (2017). "What is the future of the Syrian Democratic Forces?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. "Reports: SDF spox Silo defects to FSA, Turkey". Rudaw English. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  5. Reuters Staff (2017-11-16). "U.S.-backed Syria forces say Turkey pressured commander into defecting". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-01-02. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  6. "statement to Public opinion". SDF official. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  7. Evans, Dominic; Coskun, Orhan (2017), Defector says thousands of Islamic State fighters left Raqqa in secret deal, Reuters, retrieved 13 June 2016
  8. "SDF commander's claims of Turkish allegiance raise eyebrows". Al-Monitor. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-01-02.


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