The SDF’s Majlum Abdi says they will withdraw troops east of the Euphrates, as President al-Shara issues a Kurdish rights decree.
The Syrian Army has launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-controlled area of Deir Hafar following violent clashes in Aleppo.
The army issued a warning on Friday ahead of attacks targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir Hafar, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Aleppo, saying it would focus on areas that Kurdish forces use “as launch points for their terrorist activities in Aleppo city and its eastern countryside.”
SDF leader Majlum Abdi responded by saying his forces would withdraw east of the Euphrates River.
In a post on X, Abdi said that “based on calls from allies and mediators… we have decided to withdraw our forces tomorrow at 7am (0400 GMT)” east of Aleppo to “re-deploy east of the Euphrates”.
Abdi said the troops were withdrawing “in demonstration of our commitment to implement the provisions of the March 10th agreement…” referring to stalled plans to integrate a Kurdish de facto autonomous administration into the Syrian state.
The implementation of a deal that is supposed to see the Kurdish-led SDF integrate with Syria’s defense ministry by the end of 2025 has been delayed, sparking fierce clashes in Aleppo this month that left at least 23 people dead, Syria’s health ministry said.
More than 150,000 have fled two pockets of the city, as the SDF, which has controlled parts of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast since the early days of Syria’s civil war that began in 2011, has fled as the Syrian army advances.
By Sunday, the Syrian army had taken full control of Aleppo.
Friday’s attack came despite a meeting between a US-led coalition delegation and Kurdish forces in an effort to defuse tensions.
At least 4,000 people left the Deir Hafar area on Friday after the army gave them a deadline to flee, according to Syrian officials.
Goodwill gesture
After ousting longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the Syrian government is seeking to expand its authority nationwide.
In an apparent gesture of goodwill following the fighting in Aleppo, Syrian President Ahmed al-Shar’a issued a decree on Friday declaring Kurdish the “national language”.
The decree, the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since independence in 1946, declares the minority “an essential and integral part” of Syria, where it has faced decades of marginalization and oppression.
Shara also made the Kurdish New Year, which falls on March 21, an official holiday, and according to the controversial 1962 census, 20 percent of Kurds were given nationality.
In a televised address announcing the decree, Shariah called on the Kurds to “actively participate in building this nation,” promising to “guarantee” their rights.