Foreign interference in the founding of a safe area inside Syria will not be permitted, rebel commander tells al-Souria

Commander of the Army of Mujahedeen, Mohammed Juma Bakkour Abu Bakr, has rejected calls by foreign countries to assist in the creation of “safe zones” inside northern Syria.

"There will be no external interference to establish a safe area, and if there are efforts to establish it, the military factions in Syria will achieve this, God willing".

"We will do our best to establish this zone for our people who have suffered from the Assad regime’s campaign of murder, displacement and destruction. Since the start of the revolution, people have called for a safe area – a zone that cannot be targeted by the regime and its warplanes”, Abu Bakr said.

The commander explained, “We are working now to establish this safe zone in cooperation with anyone who wants to help the Syrian people. The safe area will provide safety for millions who fled the oppression and injustice, it will provide safety for those who live in the open, it will protect them from the nightmares of regime's explosive barrels and warplanes”.

“ Neighboring Turkey, or any other country, will not interfere on the ground. These countries will not have troops on the ground. The revolutionary factions on the ground in Aleppo and its countryside will clear the area from the Islamic State (ISIS) and regime troops”, Abu Bakr said.

The commander added, “There is coordination and cooperation between us and the friends of Syria to establish an ISIS-free zone that the regime cannot target. It will be the starting point to liberate the entire city of Aleppo".

Responding to the recent progress of the Kurdish forces, and whether it has impacted on the work to establish a safe area, Abu Bakr said: "We are against any division of Syrian land and we will stand against any project of any party that intends to divide the country".

Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer