New Syria clashes as Kurds accuse authorities of 'aggression' near Aleppo

Claims of early-morning fighting are latest setback to March peace deal

The mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces control large parts of Syria after the civil war. EPA

Kurdish-led fighters in Syria have said they clashed with authorities for a second day in a row on Monday in the latest setback to peace efforts.

The mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces accused “factions affiliated with the Syrian transitional government” of attacking four positions in the early hours of Monday morning. They said the clashes occurred in a village near Syria's industrial capital of Aleppo.

“Our forces responded to the attack with the necessary force to defend their positions and fighters, and clashes erupted that lasted for 20 continuous minutes,” the SDF said. It called the fighting a “deliberate escalation” and said its forces were “more prepared today than ever to exercise their legitimate right to respond with full force and determination”.

The Syrian government said on Sunday that the SDF had fired rockets at army positions near the Euphrates river in an attempt to infiltrate the area. The SDF said it was responding to an unprovoked artillery assault against civilians. The authorities in Damascus did not comment on Monday's reported violence.

The clashes are the first since US-sponsored talks between the two sides faltered last month. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara signed a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi in March to integrate his fighters into state forces, but the peace process has faced setbacks.

It also comes shortly after a flurry of violence in Sweida in southern Syria, this time involving fighters from the Druze minority, Bedouin tribes and the Syrian government. Hundreds of people were reported to have been killed during days of unrest, with tensions continuing to simmer.

Tom Barrack, a US special envoy for Syria, described the latest violence in Sweida and in Aleppo province as disturbing.

The US is proud “to be co-mediating with France the reintegration of the north-east into a unified Syria,” he said on Monday. “The path ahead belongs to Syrians – urging all sides to uphold calm and resolve differences through dialogue, not bloodshed.”

Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara is seeking to consolidate control of the country. AP

Extending Syrian government control to east of the Euphrates, which is mostly under the control of the SDF, has been a main goal for Mr Al Shara since the removal of former president Bashar Al Assad in December.

The March deal paved the way for Kurdish-led forces that hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with regional Kurdish governing bodies.

In Aleppo, government forces started joint patrols with SDF units soon afterwards in Sheikh Maqsoud, the main Kurdish neighbourhood of the city, official media. An SDF component called the People's Protection Units began a partial withdrawal from the neighbourhood.

The deal faltered though after the SDF convened a conference of Kurdish political groups in April that demanded that Syria be governed under a federal system. Mr Al Shara called Syrian unity a “red line” and said the authorities “reject any attempt to impose a partition or create separatist cantons under the terms of federalism or self-autonomy”.

Mr Al Shara and Mr Abdi failed to meet as expected during a visit to Damascus by Mr Barrack last month.

The US has backed the SDF in its fight against ISIS in Syria. Though ISIS was declared territorially defeated in 2019, attacks still sporadically occur. On Monday, the militant group claimed responsibility for an attack on July 31 that killed five SDF members at a checkpoint in Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria.