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The clash occurred during high-level talks between Syrian and Turkish officials regarding the integration of the Self-Defense Forces into the Syrian army.
Clashes have been reported between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, amid high-level talks on how to integrate the SDF into Syria’s state institutions.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported on Monday that the SDF launched an attack on positions of Syrian security forces near Aleppo’s Sheyhan and Leamon roundabouts.
“The road connecting Gaziantep and Aleppo is closed from the direction of the Leamon and Sheyhan roundabouts as the SDF targets this road,” the news agency said.
The Syrian Civil Defense Agency said two rescue workers were injured when the vehicle they were traveling in was fired upon by SDF forces.
“The civil defense insignia was clearly displayed on the vehicle,” the rescue agency said, adding that two injured rescue workers were taken to hospital.
The violence occurred as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited the Syrian capital Damascus to discuss the integration of the Self-Defense Forces into Syria’s new army with Syrian officials ahead of a looming deadline.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharah, who came to power after the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last December, signed a deal in March integrating the SDF into the country’s state institutions.
However, details of the integration process remain vague and implementation of the agreement has stalled.
Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oganna, reporting from Damascus, said high-level talks between Syria and Turkey were the “trigger” for Monday’s clashes. “We have also heard reports of heavy gunfire and shelling,” he said.
“Previously, Damascus had proposed merging 50,000 SDF fighters into three divisions that would be partially controlled by Syria. Turkey was seriously opposed to this and said it wanted to dismantle the SDF’s existing command structure,” Oganna explained.
The US-backed SDF has controlled large swaths of territory in northeastern Syria since 2015.
“The issue of integrating the Self-Defense Forces into the Syrian government forces is probably the most combustible element in Syria today. It is a huge hotspot and really threatens the national unity of Syria.”
issue
The main issue was whether the SDF would remain as a joint force in the new Syrian army, or whether it would be disbanded and its members absorbed individually into the new army.
Turkiye’s government considers the SDF to be a “terrorist” organization due to its ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but opposes its participation as a single unit.
Kurdish officials said they had reached a preliminary agreement that would allow three SDF divisions to be integrated into the new army as units, but it was unclear how close they were to a final agreement.
The original deadline for implementing the March agreement was at the end of the year, but there were concerns that a military conflict could ensue if no progress was made by then.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani, speaking alongside Fidan on Monday, said the government did not see “initiative or serious will” by the SDF to implement the integration agreement.
“There was systematic procrastination,” al-Shibani said.
He added that Damascus had submitted a proposal to the SDF to advance military integration and received a response on Sunday, which is currently “under consideration.”
