SDF commander’s visit to Damascus postponed for ‘technical reasons’

A visit to Damascus by Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been postponed due to “technical reasons,” the SDF said in a statement.

According to the statement, a new date will be determined “through mutual agreement.”

On Dec 25, Abdi said that “all efforts” were being made to reach an agreement with Damascus regarding the integration of the SDF with the Syrian government.

The negotiation process stems from the March 10th agreement signed between Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Abdi said that the SDF had “reached a mutual understanding” with Syria’s transitional government about integration. Abdi reemphasized the need for a decentralized system of governance, a position that Damascus rejects.

On Dec 26, a senior official in Syria’s foreign ministry pushed back against Abdi’s optimistic sentiments. The Syrian official claimed that the ongoing dialogue had not yet brought “tangible results” and that no concrete steps or timelines had been agreed upon.

“It appears this discourse is being used for media purposes and to absorb political pressures, amid actual stagnation,” the official said.

Renewed clashes

Abdi’s remarks came after violent clashes in Aleppo last today between the Syrian armed forces and the SDF. Leaders from both sides ordered a ceasefire that same day.

According to the SDF, at least two people were killed and 20 injured during the fighting, while Syrian state media reported that at least four people were killed.

Both sides blamed each other for the outbreak of violence.

The Syrian defense ministry claimed that the SDF had launched a sudden assault on security forces, while the SDF said that factions affiliated with the Syrian government had carried out the attack. 

Ankara weighs in

Prior to the fighting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan questioned the intentions of the SDF in the ongoing dialogues over integration.

“We see that the SDF has no real intention of making significant progress in the negotiations on integration with the Damascus administration,” Fidan said.

Fidan claimed the SDF’s conduct and collaboration with Israel had become an impediment in the negotiations.

“The fact that the SDF carries out some of its activities in coordination with Israel currently represents a major obstacle in the discussions being held with Damascus,” Fidan said. He added that the SDF appeared to have no intent to honor its commitment for integration by year-end.

Coinciding with Abdi’s comments on Dec 25, sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry blamed the SDF for the recent clashes in Aleppo.

“The struggle in Syria is between those who want a Syria in unity, stable and prosperous against those who want a weak, unstable and divided Syria,” the Defense Ministry stated.

The integration talks between the SDF and the Syrian government also carry significance for Turkey’s Kurdish peace process. Ankara maintains that imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for disarmament also applies to the SDF, which it considers the Syrian extension of the PKK. The SDF, however, denies any organizational ties to the PKK and argues that Öcalan’s message does not concern them. (SH/VK)