Syria Kurdish-led force chief says open to talks with Islamist rebels

The commander of a Kurdish-led force in Syria said Friday he was open to talks with Turkey and Islamist-led rebels, whose offensive had created a "new political and military reality".

"We want to de-escalate with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other parties and to solve our problems through dialogue" including with Turkey, Mazloum Abdi, who heads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls swathes of northeast Syria, told reporters. "We were surprised to see the sudden and rapid collapse of Syrian government forces on the frontlines as factions took control of large areas, imposing a new political and military reality," he added.