Latest Developments
Battles Near Tishreen Dam Continue: Heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) around the Tishreen Dam in northeastern Syria was ongoing on January 21, the SDF said. According to the SDF, the Turkish-backed factions have launched intense shelling and drone strikes in the area. Since January 15, clashes between Kurdish forces and the Turkish-backed SNA in Aleppo Governorate have escalated, resulting in 18 fatalities amid ongoing artillery and drone exchanges.
HTS and Arab Tribes Join Forces Against SDF: In Deir Ezzor, three fighters from the SDF have been killed since January 20 in clashes with Arab tribal militias that have shifted allegiance from the deposed regime of Bashar al-Assad to the country’s new Sunni Islamist rulers. The militias seek to dislodge the Kurdish-backed group as a prelude to joining the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led Syrian administration. Syria TV, a Turkey-based outlet, reported that HTS has aligned with the Turkish-backed factions and deployed fighters to the Tishreen Dam and Deir Ezzor.
SDF Rejects Disarmament: SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi stated that his forces will neither disarm nor dissolve but are open to negotiating integration into a unified Syrian army. Abdi criticized the recent faction meetings organized by the Syrian Ministry of Defense for excluding the SDF, declaring, “The results do not concern us because we are not part of it.” Abdi proposed forming a joint military committee to discuss force integration, emphasizing his opposition to the existence of two separate armies in Syria.
FDD Expert Response
“Syria’s Kurds have consistently signaled — at every critical juncture — that they are willing to work with the interim government and Turkey to use any means necessary to avoid armed conflict. The SDF is more aware that conflict will lead to civilian deaths and will prevent stability from taking hold in Syria. Abdi has also made it clear that the SDF’s willingness to negotiate and compromise will not extend to plans aimed at dislocating, displacing, and decimating the Kurds’ very existence. The Trump administration is in a prime position to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from pursuing his narrow and vengeful policy of eliminating the most valuable U.S. partners in the Middle East.” — Sinan Ciddi, Non-Resident Senior Fellow
“The integration of armed factions presents the biggest challenge for Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of HTS, especially given the significant presence of Turkish-backed groups in these discussions. It is difficult to imagine that the SDF or the SNA, which acts as Turkey’s proxy, would agree to merge into a single army. The key issue for the new administration in Damascus will be whether it decides to engage the SDF militarily, a decision that should be of major concern to the United States.” — Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Research Analyst