After a sudden eruption of clashes in Aleppo that threatened to unravel Syria’s already fragile transition, the army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to de-escalate late last night. The Syrian defence ministry issued a general order instructing its troops to halt fire and stop targeting SDF positions, while the SDF asked its fighters to cease responding to attacks, openly referring to ongoing de-escalation contacts taking place behind the scenes to contain the crisis. The speed with which both sides moved towards a ceasefire underlined how precarious Syria’s current security arrangements have become, with both sides scrambling to rescue a faltering political agreement.
The clashes, described by independent analysts as the worst seen in the area this year, were concentrated in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighbourhoods of Aleppo. These districts are predominantly Kurdish and occupy a sensitive position within one of Syria’s most important cities. Even as control over Aleppo shifted repeatedly during the war, these areas remained under Kurdish control. Before the latest violence, security there was maintained through joint checkpoints staffed by both SDF and government troops. Fighting between these forces, therefore, signalled a complete breakdown in local trust and coordination.
Residents spoke of terrifying scenes as heavy artillery, mortars and tank fire struck residential streets. The scale of the bombardment prompted the Aleppo governor to announce the temporary shutdown of schools, universities and government offices in the city. Reports suggested that at least three people died and more than thirty were wounded during a single day of fighting.
The responsibility for the clashes was hotly contested. The Syrian government accused the SDF of launching sudden attacks on army positions and shelling residential areas. The SDF strongly denied these claims, insisting that government troops initiated the violence by firing tanks and artillery into Kurdish neighbourhoods and attacking one of their checkpoints.
The immediate backdrop to the clashes was a high-level visit to Damascus by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin earlier that day. Their presence signalled renewed Turkish pressure on the Syrian authorities to enforce the integration of the SDF into the national army.
Ankara views the SDF as a serious national security threat because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and has made Syrian stability conditional on neutralising the Kurdish force.
At the heart of the crisis lies a looming deadline attached to an agreement signed on March 10 between the new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the SDF. Under the deal, the SDF was to integrate into the Syrian army by the end of the year, leaving about a week when the fighting erupted. While both sides formally accepted the principle of integration, they remain deadlocked over how it should be carried out.
The SDF, which served as the United States’ main partner in the fight against the Islamic State, retains significant leverage. It controls much of Syria’s oil production, large wheat reserves and detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State fighters. The SDF units prefer to stay together, preserving their command structure and the autonomy they gained during the war. Turkey and Damascus fear that it would create a state within a state. They insist that SDF fighters be dispersed among different units in the army, which would effectively dismantle the Kurdish command structure.
The diplomatic atmosphere has been further poisoned by mutual accusations. During his visit, Fidan said the SDF had no real intention of honouring the agreement. He also sought to add a geopolitical dimension by accusing the SDF of coordinating with Israel, an allegation designed to undermine Kurdish legitimacy in the wider Arab region. The SDF, for its part, fears that disarming without firm guarantees would leave it exposed to the same government forces it now confronts.
The Aleppo violence has become a critical stress test for the post-Assad transition and for President al-Sharaa’s leadership. The clashes exposed the limits of his authority, with critics describing him as a sovereign in name only who struggles to control the diverse factions operating under the state banner.
For the SDF, the stakes are existential. Turkey has openly warned that failure to meet the integration deadline could trigger military action and says preparations are in place if diplomacy collapses. A Turkish incursion would almost certainly derail the peace process and risk drawing in other actors, including the US, which continues to back the SDF.
Fighting in a densely populated and ethnically mixed city such as Aleppo also raises the danger of sectarian escalation. If violence takes on a communal dimension, it could quickly spiral beyond control, echoing the chaos seen in other regions earlier in the transition.