At least three people were killed and 31 injured in clashes between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday. High-level talks continue over plans to integrate the SDF into Syria’s state institutions.
The fighting begins less than eight days before a March 10 deadline for a deal between Damascus and the Self-Defense Forces, in which Damascus and the Self-Defense Forces commit to a nationwide ceasefire and the integration of civilian and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the national framework.
The US-backed SDF, which is not part of the rebel alliance that toppled Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad, is currently the most powerful non-government force in the country and holds strategic territory mainly in the northeast.
The Aleppo Health Authority, run by the city of Damascus, said at least two civilians were killed and eight others injured in SDF shelling of areas around Aleppo.
SDF media chief Farhad Shami told CNN that at least one civilian was killed and 23 others, including six security personnel, were killed and 23 others injured, including six security personnel, in what he described as a mortar and heavy weapons attack by “factions linked to the Damascus government” against SDF-held areas of the city.
In a statement, the SDF and the Syrian Ministry of Defense accused each other of starting the clashes.
The Ministry of Defense said its forces were responding to “SDF firing positions targeting residents’ homes and movements, as well as military and security deployment points” in government-controlled areas of Aleppo.
Syria’s Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces said in subsequent statements that they had ceased mutual attacks. The SDF said the move was made “in response to continued contacts of de-escalation.”
According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaybani said on Monday that the SDF was not serious enough to implement the March 10 agreement. He said Damascus had recently presented a proposal to advance this process and was considering the SDF’s response.
The violence coincided with a visit to Damascus by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who said Turkey supports the talks and considers them essential for stability in Syria.
Fidan said at a joint press conference that the integration of the SDF into the Syrian regime must occur through dialogue and reconciliation. He warned that an alternative path would undermine Syria’s security, SANA reported. Fidan added that the SDF has shown “little intention” to move forward.
Turkey has long opposed the SDF, which the United States trained, equipped and supported to fight Islamic State. Turkey believes the SDF has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which the Turkish government has designated as a terrorist organization.
