In 2012, today's Jabhat al-Akrad Arab commander Xalid Abdo had joined the gang Jabhat Shamiye, which presented itself as part of the Syrian opposition. Two years later he seceded from that gang and joined the ranks of Jabhat al-Akrad.

Xalid Abdo, who fought in the ranks of the Jabhat al-Akrad against ISIS and also the other gangs and suffered wounds, spoke to ANF about his experiences.

Xalid Abdo, who is originally from Aleppo/Hulluk, was one of the richest merchants in the pre-Syrian civil war time. In 2012 he joined the gang Jabhat al-Shamiye, which presented itself to belong to the opposition. He took on top responsibilities and attended important meetings with this gang's leaders: "During those meetings I saw that the leaders of the groups worked for their own interests and were not revolutionaries. All of them were pursuing personal goals. They did not care about people dying. They also shoved the money that was meant for the families of the deceased or the money that came in for the wounded ones into their own pockets. I understood that these thieves did not bother about things like toppling the regime or revolution."

HE CONTACTED THE JABHAT AL-AKRAD

When he was the commander of the Maber El Riz border gate, which is of commercial importance, Xalid Abdo rejected all proposals of gangs like the Sultan Murad, Nuredddin Zenki, Ahrar al-Sham, Sittash, Jabhat al Nusra. Xalid Abdo said that he came to  earn the Jabhat al-Akrad and continued: "I understood that Jabhat al-Akrad was different from all the others. I left Jabhat al-Shamiye and joined Jabhat al-Akrad. After I joined them, the control over the Maber El Riz border gate fell into the hands of Jabhat al-Akrad. All of the civilians who passed through there at that time loved us very much. Everyone who passed said to us: 'When will you control all the region and save us from those thieves?'."

THE PEOPLE WERE HAPPY, BUT THE GANGS WERE ANGRY

"The people were happy that the gate had gotten under the control of Jabhat al-Akrad, but the gangs were most dissatisfied. The gangs united against us and started to attack us. In the face of the intense attacks, we had to abandon the gate and withdraw into Sheik Maqsoud. There occurred constant clashes between us. All the gangs united and surrounded Sheik Maqsoud. They launched attacks on us. We stood up against them and we did not let them enter Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah."

AFTER BEING TREATED FOR HIS INJURY, HE JOINED THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS

"I got wounded in those intense clashes. When I recovered, I went to fight against ISIS together with my comrades. We crossed into the Shehba region through Sheikh Maqsoud and fought against ISIS. We expelled them from Til Sehir. The locals welcomed us very happily. As a citizen of Syria, I do not want ISIS nor the Turks to become the new rulers. We are children of this land and will defend this homeland until the last drop of our blood."

THE TURKISH STATE IS NO FRIEND

Xalid Abdo stated that he wants to appeal to the Arab people in the Turkish occupied Shehba region and said that the Turkish state and Erdoğan bear no other meaning than evil. Xalid Abdo said: "The Democratic Federation benefits all the peoples of Syria. There is no harm at all. All those who are now in Turkey shall return. They shall not fall into the traps of the Turkish intelligence and Sultan Murad. Turkish rulers have reigned over us for 400 years. The enemy of grandfathers cannot be the friend of grandchildren. The Turkish state acts in pursuance of the Ottoman dream. They want to possess and rule once again over these lands. They do not like the Arabs. The Turkish state is not a friend of any people, not even its own people."