Syrian gov’t soldier killed in clashes with Kurd-led SDF in Aleppo province

Syria’s new government says it will not take part in planned meetings with SDF in Paris amid tensions.

A government soldier has been killed in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo province, Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reports, citing the Ministry of Defence.

The latest eruption of violence between the two sides came on Tuesday in northwestern Syria and cast further doubt over an integration deal signed in March by the armed group and Syria’s interim government as part of efforts to reunite the country, devastated and divided by a 14-year war, after the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December.

The Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that the SDF must abide by that accord and stop targeting government forces, warning that “the continuation of these actions will lead to new consequences”, SANA reported.

However, the March agreement does not specify how the SDF would be merged into Syria’s armed forces. The group has previously said its forces must join as a bloc while the government wants its fighters to join as individuals.

Syria’s fledgling government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, said last week that it would not take part in planned meetings with the SDF in Paris amid mounting tensions.

In the meantime, Syria’s foreign minister and a senior official in the country’s Kurdish administration reportedly met on Tuesday in Damascus, sources from both sides told the AFP news agency.

The SDF was the main force allied with the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated ISIL (ISIS) in 2019.

On Saturday, the group accused government-backed factions of attacking areas in northeastern Syria more than 22 times. It said it had exercised restraint during such “aggressions” but the continuation of attacks “threatens mutual trust and undermines understandings”.