Jan 17, 2026, 2:51 p.mJan 17, 2026, 2:51 p.m
Cheering Syrians wave the (new) Syrian flag.Image: keystone
There have been renewed clashes between Kurdish militias and government troops southeast of the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported clashes near Dibsi Afnan. They accused the interim government of a “sneaky attack”. The Syrian army, for its part, said its troops in Dibsi Afnan had been attacked.
Mutual accusations
The renewed clashes were preceded by an announcement by the SDF that it would withdraw from the area after days of fighting. According to Kurdish sources, the agreement called for a ceasefire of 48 hours. However, the interim government arrived with military convoys, heavy weapons and tanks before the complete withdrawal. The government troops attacked SDF fighters. Several of them are said to have been killed.
The Syrian army, however, said fighters from the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had attacked the military, the state news agency Sana reported. According to the army, two soldiers were killed. The interim government accuses the SDF of tolerating supporters of the ousted Assad government and PKK members. The military declared the area west of the Euphrates River a military exclusion zone. It had previously announced that it had taken control of important locations in the area.
Al-Sharaa recognizes Kurds as an “integral part” of Syria
After ongoing tensions between Kurds and the interim government, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a decree on Friday evening that recognizes the Syrian Kurds as an integral part of the Syrian people. The law guarantees their cultural and linguistic identity, allows the teaching of the Kurdish language in schools and repeals discriminatory measures from the past. In addition, the New Year’s celebration of Nowruz was declared an official holiday.
The Kurds are the largest minority in Syria. They were subjected to widespread discrimination under the decades-long Assad rule, which was overthrown at the end of 2024. During the civil war they established self-government in the north-east of the country. The civil and military institutions were actually supposed to be integrated into the state order according to an agreement concluded in March. However, this has not been implemented to date.
Observers fear that ongoing tensions between Kurdish forces and the government could lead to a wider conflict. (sda/dpa)