Clashes between government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Aleppo resulted in the deaths of seven people on Tuesday, according to Syrian official media. The renewed clashes came two days after a new negotiating round was held on Sunday in Damascus. According to the Kurds, it discussed the issue of integrating their forces into the ranks of the army, without achieving “tangible results.”

Published on: 01/06/2026 - 14:48

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Amid faltering negotiations between the two parties for months, clashes renewed between government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including four civilians.

In this context, the Syrian official media reported the killing of a member of the Ministry of Defense and two women, as a result of bombing carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces on neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo, at a time when the Kurdish forces counted the killing of a resident of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, which is inhabited by a Kurdish majority in the city.

Read also: A new stumble in the talks between Damascus and the SDF about integrating its fighters into the ranks of the Syrian army

Although they signed an agreement in March that stipulated the integration of the Autonomous Administration institutions built by the Kurds during the years of conflict into the framework of the Syrian state, the two sides engage in bloody clashes from time to time, especially in the city of Aleppo, which includes two neighborhoods inhabited by a Kurdish majority.

In a statement before noon on Tuesday, the Syrian Democratic Forces accused "the armed factions affiliated with the Interim Ministry of Defence" of "targeting with a reconnaissance plane the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood" in the city of Aleppo, which resulted in "the martyrdom of a resident of the neighborhood and the wounding of two others."

In another statement, it accused factions affiliated with the Syrian army of bombing the city of Deir Hafer, located about fifty kilometers east of the city of Aleppo, and the vicinity of the strategic Tishreen Dam located northeast of Aleppo, "with mortar shells and heavy weapons."

The American-backed forces affirmed that they "have the legitimate right to respond to these attacks, in defense of our people and to preserve the security and stability of our regions."

For its part, the local authorities in Aleppo Governorate accused the Syrian Democratic Forces of "a new violation of the agreements signed with the government" after "targeting the area near the Shihan roundabout" in the city, which resulted in "the martyrdom of a member of the Ministry of Defense and the wounding of three others."

Later, the official SANA agency counted the killing of “three civilians, including two women,” as a result of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ bombing of “residential buildings in the Al-Midan neighborhood.”

This is not the first time that the two sides have engaged in bloody clashes. On December 22, similar clashes broke out, hours after a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Damascus, during which he urged Kurdish forces “to no longer constitute an obstacle to the unity and long-term stability of Syrian territories.”

The Ministry of Health at the time counted the deaths of four civilians as a result of the bombing by the Syrian Democratic Forces, which, for its part, reported the death of a woman as a result of the government bombing.

The renewed clashes came on Tuesday, two days after a new negotiating round was held on Sunday in Damascus. According to the Kurds, it discussed the issue of integrating their forces into the ranks of the army, without achieving “tangible results,” according to official media.

During the recent period, the two parties exchanged accusations of thwarting efforts made to implement the agreement signed by the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, and President Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 10. The implementation of its provisions was supposed to be completed by the end of 2025, but a difference in views between the two parties prevented progress, despite pressure mainly led by Washington.

Kurdish forces control large areas in northern and eastern Syria, including the most prominent oil and gas fields. It formed a spearhead in the fight against the "Islamic State" organization and was able to defeat it from its last strongholds of control in the country in 2019 with the support of the international coalition led by Washington.

Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's rule, the Kurds showed flexibility towards the new authority, and raised the Syrian flag in their regions. However, their adherence to a decentralized system of government and the enshrinement of their rights in the constitution did not fall on deaf ears in Damascus.

France 24/AFP

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