Syria announces ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ with Kurds after clashes

Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces after a meeting Tuesday between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi that followed deadly clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.

Syria’s authorities, who took power last year after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, have rejected Kurdish demands for a decentralized government giving them greater autonomy.

The issue has added to tensions with the Kurdish administration that controls swathes of the north and northeast, while differences between the two sides have held up implementation of a March 10 deal on integrating the Kurds’ civil and military institutions into the state.

In a statement on X, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said he had met in Damascus with Abdi, head of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“We agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, and on points for military deployment in north and northeast Syria,” Abu Qasra said, adding that implementation of the deal would begin immediately.

A government source told AFP the meeting came after al-Sharaa met with Abdi, the first such encounter since July, and that the pair had discussed “security issues concerning the March 10 agreement.”

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s Central Command, also attended, the source added, on condition of anonymity.

Barrack said Monday on X that he and Cooper had visited northeast Syria for “substantive conversations” with Abdi.

The Kurdish leader said they had discussed “issues aimed at supporting the political integration in Syria, preserving the country’s territorial integrity, and creating a safe environment for all components of the Syrian people,” as well as ensuring continued efforts to combat ISIS in the region.