Syria Kurdish leader says Aleppo clashes undermined talks with government

By AFP 8 January 2026, 5:55 pm

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Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi says that violence in Aleppo Wednesday undermined talks with the government in Damascus, as implementation has stalled on a deal reached last year to integrate Kurdish forces into the country’s central authorities.

“The deployment of tanks and artillery in Aleppo neighbourhoods, the bombing and displacement of unarmed civilians, and attempts to storm Kurdish neighborhoods during the negotiation process undermine the chances of reaching understandings,” Abdi says in a statement.

Abdi, who leads the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), visited Damascus on Sunday for talks on implementing the March deal, but state media said the discussions failed to produce tangible results.