Kurdish forces to withdraw from disputed area in Syria

By AP 17 January 2026, 7:38 am

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Rohlat Efrin, center, a commander in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, speaks with an SDF member as American soldiers stand guard during a meeting in Deir Hafer, Syria, January 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

DEIR HAFER, Syria — The leader of Kurdish-led forces in Syria announces that they will withdraw from a contested area in northern Syria, potentially heading off a major clash with government forces.

The announcement by Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, comes as the Syrian military announced it had begun striking SDF positions, while the SDF reports “intense artillery shelling” in the town of Deir Hafer east of the city of Aleppo.

Hours earlier, a US military delegation had visited Deir Hafer and met with SDF officials in an apparent attempt to tamp down tensions.

The US has good relations with both sides and has urged calm. A spokesperson for the US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Abdi says in a statement posted on X that “based on calls from friendly countries and mediators and in a demonstration of good faith,” the SDF would redeploy its forces to areas east of the Euphrates River Saturday morning.

Shortly before Abdi’s announcement, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa had announced issuance of a decree strengthening Kurdish rights.