Syria’s new government says it will not take part in planned meetings with SDF in Paris amid tensions.
A government soldier has been killed in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo province, Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reports, citing the Ministry of Defence.
The latest eruption of violence between the two sides came on Tuesday in northwestern Syria and cast further doubt over an integration deal signed in March by the armed group and Syria’s interim government as part of efforts to reunite the country, devastated and divided by a 14-year war, after the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December.
The Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that the SDF must abide by that accord and stop targeting government forces, warning that “the continuation of these actions will lead to new consequences”, SANA reported.
However, the March agreement does not specify how the SDF would be merged into Syria’s armed forces. The group has previously said its forces must join as a bloc while the government wants its fighters to join as individuals.
