After clashes in Aleppo between Kurdish security forces and forces of the Syrian transitional government, there are concerns about the future integration of Kurdish forces into the government’s army.
A new report by Rudaw Media Network, a news channel in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, may allay those concerns. The United States continues to “support and facilitate” dialogue between the two sides, Rudaw reported Wednesday.
An unnamed official at the US State Department said the US was continuing to support dialogue between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian transitional government, sometimes called the STG, the report said.
“Ambassador [Tom] Barrack continues to support and facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces,” the official said. Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey and also the US envoy to Syria. He plays a key role in the region.
“The United States calls for restraint on all sides,” the report said, referring to clashes in two neighborhoods in Aleppo where elements linked to the STG fought with the Kurdish Asayish, or local security.
Kurds control two neighborhoods in Aleppo called Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya. They have controlled them for years and have their own local security.
Kurdish armed forces may integrate with Damascus trained forces
After the new government came to power in Damascus, however, there have been questions about how the Kurdish armed security might integrate with the new forces being trained by Damascus.
The SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, went to Damascus in March and met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. They agreed to a road map of integration. The SDF controls a third of Syria, primarily eastern Syria, where many Kurds live.
“The State Department official emphasized that the US-mediated meetings between the SDF and Damascus ‘focus on the implementation of and recommitment to the March 10 integration agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government,’” Rudaw reported.
The clashes in Aleppo ended one day earlier this week. Nevertheless, they are worrisome, and people were killed or wounded.
“The Syrian government initiated the fighting [in Aleppo],” Nouri Sheikho, co-chair of the General Council of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya, said in an interview with Rudaw.
Kurdish fears regarding the new government
Kurds fear that people who support the new government in Damascus will seek to harm the Kurdish minority.
In eastern Syria, the Kurdish-led SDF has tens of thousands of fighters and is backed by the US. In Aleppo, however, the Kurdish forces are surrounded in the two small neighborhoods.
The issues in Syria are very important and affect the whole region. The STG sent a delegation to Russia on Tuesday, and it included Syria’s foreign and defense ministers. They met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Syria also hosted a high-level Turkish delegation on Monday. In addition, the US has provided new details on Israel’s support for the Druze in Sweida, The Washington Post reported.
Israel has connections to the SDF, the report suggested. As such, the context of the clashes in Aleppo has ramifications that go all the way to Jerusalem and Ankara.
Israel and Turkey appear to be heading for possible increased tensions. Israel hosted leaders from Greece and Cyprus this week, a sign of growing alignment between Israel and the Greeks. This clearly is juxtaposed with Ankara’s posture in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Furthermore, Ankara hosted a Libya delegation this week to discuss Ankara’s role in Libya. Turkey believes it has a maritime connection directly to Libya that would ostensibly cut off Israel from Greece.
A key Libyan commander died in a plane crash after leaving Ankara.