The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces ordered a ceasefire between militants on Monday after deadly clashes, with Türkiye’s top diplomat urging Kurds to join the Syrian army.
At least three people were killed in the clashes, which took place ahead of a deadline to implement a March 10 deal between Damascus and the Kurds that would have included the SDF, which controls a large swath of Syria’s oil-rich northeast, into the state.
State news agency SANA quoted the Syrian Defense Ministry as saying that the Syrian army’s general staff had issued an “order to stop targeting fire sources.”
Meanwhile, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they had “issued instructions to our forces to cease responding to attacks”.
Earlier, both sides traded accusations over who instigated the conflict.
State news agency SANA said on Monday that “SDF shelling in an Aleppo area killed two civilians and injured eight others” as tensions in the city escalated following a round of violence between the two sides in October.
One woman was killed and 17 civilians were injured after “rockets and tank shelling by Damascus government factions targeted the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo,” the SDF said.
Despite a disengagement agreement with Syria’s new Islamic authorities in April, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh remain under the control of Kurdish forces linked to the SDF and Kurdish Internal Security Forces.
Syria’s interior ministry said Kurdish forces attacked government personnel at a joint checkpoint in two Kurdish-majority communities.
Instead, the SDF blamed “factions linked to the interim government” for the attack on the checkpoint.
The Defense Ministry denied attacking SDF positions, while Kurdish-led forces denied attacking residential areas in Aleppo.
In October, Syria declared a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces after deadly clashes in various areas.
Under a March deal between Damascus and the SDF, Kurdish civilian and military institutions were supposed to be integrated into the central government by the end of the year, but disagreements have hampered implementation of the deal despite international pressure.
– ‘Stablize’ –
In Damascus, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Syrian President Ahmed Salam, a presidential statement said.
Türkiye and Syria have developed close ties since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year, with Ankara, the new authority’s main backer, viewing the Kurdish forces as a security threat.
“It is important that the SDF be integrated into the Syrian government in a transparent manner through dialogue and reconciliation, and that it no longer becomes an obstacle to Syria’s territorial integrity and long-term stability,” Fidan told a news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani.
Fidan claimed that the Kurds “do not intend to make much progress in implementing the March agreement.”
Shabani said authorities had received a response from the SDF to the Syrian Defense Ministry’s proposal to integrate Kurdish-led forces.
He said Damascus was studying “this response and how it responds to the national interest of integrating and unifying the Syrian territory”.
Last week, an unnamed Kurdish official told AFP that Damascus’ proposal included splitting the Kurdish-led forces into three divisions and brigades, including a women’s brigade.
The troops will be deployed in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria under the command of SDF commanders, the official said.
The official added that this was Damascus’ first written proposal since the deal was struck in March, pointing to “international and regional efforts” to finalize a deal by the end of the year.
Türkiye shares a 900-kilometer (550-mile) border with Syria and has launched a series of offensives to push the SDF from the border.
Fidan said, “Syria’s stability means Türkiye’s stability.”
Shabani said the talks also discussed “fighting terrorism and preventing the resurgence” of the Islamic State jihadist group.
bur-lk/lg/jsa/amj
