Trump has been accused of betraying and abandoning the SDF, which bore the brunt of the campaign against ISIS in Syria. Both the president and the Pentagon have denied that the withdrawal represents a “green light” to the Turkish operation.

But Tahir said the message sent by Trump’s withdrawal was “very clear” and certainly provided Erdogan his long-awaited green light…

Tahir told Newsweek it is the KRG’s “fear and worry” that the Turkish operation will create a humanitarian crisis in Rojava.

“The Kurdistan region is the closest and safest place for them,” Tahir said. However, he added, “I don’t think we can bear more refugees from Syria…This is one of the biggest worries that we have in the Kurdistan region.”