Days after Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced an unprecedented ceasefire, fighting erupted once again northern Syria. Al Jazeera reports that Kurdish-held areas were overrun by government and allied tribal forces from Aleppo to Raqqa, necessitating an SDF truce and a comprehensive deal that would place Kurdish authorities under state authority. However, new conflicts broke out almost immediately. The SDF reported fresh combat near the al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, warning that government-aligned fighters’ efforts to seize it where ISIL (ISIS) inmates are confined pose a serious threat to regional security. Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed in two different strikes in the area, according to Syrian state television, “terrorist groups are affiliated with the SDF” of attempting to undermine the ceasefire. Both sides have been held accountable for these episodes, which include an alleged jailbreak of scores of ISIL prisoners at al-Shaddadi. According to Reuters, the SDF claimed that government fighters had seized the jail and caused the breakout, while the army said that “a number of IS captives had fled” during the disturbance and accused the SDF of releasing them [4].
Conflicting Claims and Rising Tensions
The ceasefire’s fragility has been highlighted by the recent fighting. The fighting near al-Aqtan and other fronts might undermine the precarious truce, SDF commanders have warned. The prison-area skirmishes, according to one SDF commander who spoke to Al Jazeera, are a “highly dangerous development” that, if left unchecked, may “pave the way for a return to chaos and terrorism.” Warnings have also been issued by Damascus officials. According to reports from state news agencies, the Syrian Defense Ministry urged all armed groups to abide by the truce and threatened to take all necessary steps to enforce it if they did not. According to the army, the soldiers were murdered in attacks by terrorist groups affiliated with the SDF who were attempting to disrupt the implementation of the ceasefire. In reality, as local mediators and U.S. envoys work to avert a return to open warfare, both sides have blamed the other for recent violent outbursts.
Talks Stall as Deadline Looms
The ceasefire was agreed in the midst of protracted negotiations that haven’t made much headway over the SDF’s integration into Syrian state apparatus. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi met for five hours on Monday in Damascus, but they were unable to reach a consensus. In exchange for full Syrian security deployment in Kurdish areas and the expulsion of any Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, Damascus offered Abdi top positions, including governor of Hasakah and deputy defense minister. Mr. al-Sharaa rejected Abdi’s request for five days to confer with his command and instead gave the SDF leader until Tuesday to accept the demands or risk the truce collapsing.
The 14-point framework that was negotiated in March of last year, which promised to integrate the SDF under state control, is the basis for these conversations. However, analysts claim that implementation has since stalled. According to Reuters, there was a “deadlock in talks” for months regarding whether Kurdish fighters would enlist as a single unit or be scattered throughout the army [10]. The violence that has occurred recently indicates that those basic problems are still unaddressed. The ceasefire and the precarious political process surrounding it now seem at risk of collapsing as Abdi has not yet approved the parameters and both sides are accusing one another of infractions.