Talal Ali Silo (; also transliterated ''Telal Silo'', ''Talal Sallou'') is a

Syrian Turkmen Syrian Turkmen, also referred to as Syrian Turkomans, Turkish Syrians, or simply Syrian Turks or Turks of Syria, ( ar, تركمان سوريا; tr, Suriye Türkmenleri or ) are Syrian citizens of Turkish people, Turkish origin who mainly trace ...

military personnel who was the official

Syrian Democratic Forces , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder , caption = Flag , active = 10 October 2015 – present , ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...

(SDF) spokesperson from 2014 until his surrender or defection to Turkey in November 2017, covering major SDF operations and battles against the militant group ISIL. His departure marked the first major defection among the SDF's top ranks. During an interview, he alleged that during the SDF capture of

Raqqa Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. T ...

from ISIL, thousands of ISIL fighters—many more than first reported—left the city under a secret

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

-approved deal. However, US officials described Silo's comments as “false and contrived”. The deal is argued as a strategic move by the SDF and coalition forces. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the

Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA) ( ar, الجيش الوطني السوري, al-Jayš al-Waṭanī as-Sūrī), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian oppo ...

(SNA) have presented different versions of the reasons behind Silo's departure - reflecting the complexities of the Syrian Civil War.

References

1965 births Syrian Democratic Forces Syrian defectors Syrian colonels Living people People from Aleppo Governorate Syrian Turkmen people {{Syria-mil-bio-stub

See also

References