Talal Silo

Talal Silo
طلال سلو
Talal Silo; طلال سلو
	Silo in 2016
Born	طلال علي سلو (Talal Ali Silo); 1965 (age 60–61); Al-Rai, Syria
Allegiance	Syrian Arab Republic (1985–2004); Syrian opposition (2013–2015, since 2017); Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (2015–2017);
Branch	Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1985–2004); Syrian Turkmen Assembly (2013–2015); Syrian Democratic Forces (2015–2017)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Seljuk Brigade (2013–2015); Army of Revolutionaries (2015);
Commands	Spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Forces (2015–17); Commander of the Seljuk Brigade (2013–15)
Conflicts	Syrian Civil War Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War; 2015 al-Hawl offensive; Tishrin Dam offensive; Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016); Manbij offensive (2016); Turkish military intervention in Syria; Raqqa campaign (2016–2017) Battle of Raqqa (2017); ; ;

Talal Silo (Arabic: طلال سلو; also transliterated Telal Silo, Talal Sallou) is a Syrian Turkmen^[3] former 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]

During an interview, he claimed that during the SDF's capture of Raqqa from ISIL, thousands of ISIL fighters—far more than initially reported—left the city as part of a secret agreement approved by the United States. However, U.S. officials dismissed Silo's statements as “false and fabricated.”^[7] The agreement is considered by some as a strategic maneuver by the SDF and coalition forces.^[8] The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) have offered differing accounts regarding the reasons for Silo's departure, highlighting the ongoing complexities of the Syrian Civil War.^[3]

References

^ "US-backed SDF spox Talal Sillo defects from PKK-aligned group, crosses into Turkey". Daily Sabah. 15 November 2017.
^ "Find out about the biography of the spokesperson of "QSD" Col. Talal Sallou". Buyer Press. 31 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Najjar, Farah (2017). "What is the future of the Syrian Democratic Forces?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^ "Reports: SDF spox Silo defects to FSA, Turkey". Rudaw English. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
^ "U.S.-backed Syria forces say Turkey pressured commander into defecting". Reuters. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
^ "statement to Public opinion". SDF official. 2017-11-16. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
^ Evans, Dominic; Coskun, Orhan (2017), Defector says thousands of Islamic State fighters left Raqqa in secret deal, Reuters, retrieved 13 June 2016
^ "SDF commander's claims of Turkish allegiance raise eyebrows". Al-Monitor. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-01-02.

[pkk-1] "US-backed SDF spox Talal Sillo defects from PKK-aligned group, crosses into Turkey". Daily Sabah. 15 November 2017.

[biography-2] "Find out about the biography of the spokesperson of "QSD" Col. Talal Sallou". Buyer Press. 31 August 2016.

[Najjar-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] "U.S.-backed Syria forces say Turkey pressured commander into defecting". Reuters. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2021-01-02.

[6] "statement to Public opinion". SDF official. 2017-11-16. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. 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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See also

References