The Syrian army on Sunday claimed that it “confronted a group of SDF members who attempted to infiltrate an army position in the village of Tal Maaz, eastern Aleppo, and fell into a well-planned ambush,” according to the state-run SANA news agency.
An army source accused the SDF of targeting the village “in an attempt to withdraw their members” who allegedly were caught in the ambush.
But the Kurdish-led force “categorically” denied the reports, saying “what actually occurred was nothing more than recurring internal disputes over influence among certain factions affiliated with the Damascus government itself.”
“We affirm that these claims are entirely fabricated and constitute mere media disinformation. Our forces have neither launched any attack nor engaged in any clashes in recent days,” it added.
Backed by the United States, the SDF functions as the de facto military force in the Kurdish-majority northeast Syria (Rojava). It remains a key partner of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
The latest statement comes amid ongoing mutual accusations between the SDF and the Damascus government, with each side blaming the other for recent attacks on their respective positions.
In late August, five SDF members were injured in an attack purportedly carried out by Damascus-affiliated groups in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province. The Kurdish-led force at the time held the Syrian interim government “directly responsible” for the assault.
Earlier that month, the Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish), affiliated with the SDF, reported that two of their members were injured when a “suicide drone” launched by the Syrian interim government struck a security checkpoint in northern Aleppo.
On March 10, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a landmark agreement to integrate “all civil and military institutions” in northeast Syria (Rojava) under the administration of the Syrian state and to enforce a “ceasefire across all Syrian territory.”
However, the two sides remain at odds over the interpretation of the term integration. While the SDF seeks to join the Syrian forces as a unified bloc, Damascus prefers to individually absorb and assimilate Kurdish fighters into the Syrian army.