SDF’s Abdi blames external pressures for Syria deadly clashes

Shafaq News– Damascus

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi on Sunday said external pressures pushed Syria toward internal conflict, confirming plans for talks in Damascus on shared political and security issues.

In remarks carried by Ronahi TV, Abdi explained that recent clashes with Syrian government forces were imposed on his troops despite efforts to prevent a broader confrontation, noting that the SDF had suffered heavy losses during the fighting.

He added that the decision to withdraw from parts of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa toward Hasakah was aimed at limiting civilian casualties, stressing that the move later enabled an understanding between the parties.

Earlier today, Syria’s transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa signed a new agreement with the SDF, ending the recent clashes and paving the way for the group’s integration into state institutions. The accord also grants the government full control of oil fields, permits the appointment of a new governor in Hasakah, and places all civil institutions in the province under state administration.

The agreement builds on a March 2025 framework under which the Syrian government and the SDF had pledged to integrate SDF civilian and military institutions into state structures and restore central authority over border crossings, an airport, and major oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria.

Earlier meetings in January 2026 had failed to resolve disputes over military integration and governance. The disagreements included the structure of any merger with the Syrian army and whether a decentralized security and administrative model would be maintained. Syrian officials have repeatedly accused the SDF of lacking the political will to advance, a claim the Kurdish leadership consistently rejected.

Read more: March 10 Syria–SDF Pact tested as unwritten timeline nears end-2025