Damascus, SDF trade blame over Raqqa violence, ISIS drone attacks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian defense ministry said on Thursday that two of its soldiers were killed and several others injured in an attack attributed to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa. The statement came hours after the Kurdish-led forces accused Damascus-affiliated factions of facilitating Islamic State (ISIS) drone attacks on their positions in the area.

In a statement from its Media and Communication Directorate, the defense ministry accused the SDF of “attacking Syrian Arab Army outposts in the Maadan subdistrict [located in southeastern] Raqqa” in the early morning, “seizing several positions after heavy targeting with various types of weapons.” The incident “resulted in the martyrdom of two army soldiers and injuries to others,” the ministry said.

It added that Syrian government forces “responded to the sources of fire and carried out a direct counter-attack, regaining control of the [seized] positions and expelling the attackers.” The ministry held the SDF “responsible for the repercussions of the attack,” describing it as a “treacherous and almost daily renewed aggression” against Syrian Army positions.

Hours earlier, the Kurdish-led forces said their units struck several sites in Raqqa used by ISIS to launch drones against SDF positions, accusing factions aligned with the Damascus government of facilitating the attacks.

“Our forces within the Syrian Democratic Forces are engaging a number of sites that ISIS terrorists directly used to launch unmanned aerial vehicles toward our positions in the Ghanem al-Ali desert east of Raqqa,” the SDF said, adding that the area has faced repeated attacks this week “by factions affiliated with the Damascus government, coinciding with ISIS activity.”

According to the SDF, documented footage shows ISIS using those locations as drone-launch bases, “confirming direct coordination between several Damascus-Government factions and ISIS terrorists in targeting our military positions and endangering the security of the region.”

The Kurdish-led forces said their operations aim to disrupt the sources of the attacks and strengthen defensive lines, reaffirming their “full commitment to the legitimate defense of the regions” of northeast Syria (Rojava).

Late on Wednesday, the SDF had reported shooting down two ISIS-operated drones launched from Damascus-affiliated faction positions along the same eastern Raqqa front. The drones were identified as a Matrice M30 and an offensive FPV type.

In a separate statement, the SDF said its technical teams analyzed data from the M30’s memory card after retrieving the wreckage, determining it had been operated by “a group of foreign militants affiliated with the ISIS terrorist organization, stationed at positions held by Damascus government-affiliated factions.”

The Kurdish-led forces added that “these findings conclusively confirm the involvement of several factions of the Damascus government in cooperating with foreign ISIS-affiliated elements,” warning that such coordination enables ISIS to rebuild its capabilities “in an even more dangerous manner.”

The SDF said it will release images and materials recovered from the drones and called on the US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS to investigate, warning that “ignoring these violations undermines regional security and enables ISIS to regroup and threaten civilians and communities.”

The SDF is the de facto military force of Rojava and the main on-the-ground ally of the US-led coalition in Syria.

Tensions come amid ongoing talks between the SDF and Damascus to finalize a landmark integration agreement reached on March 10 between SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Since then, discussions have continued, but disagreements have emerged over the process.

The SDF has pushed for integrating its forces as a unified bloc, while Damascus favors absorbing fighters individually and distributing them across regular army units.

Earlier this month, Syria had joined the US-led coalition, becoming its 90th member.

Speaking at an event in the Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province, Abdi on Wednesday welcomed the move, hoping it would accelerate the integration of his forces under state control.

He also called on the regional countries like Turkey not to see the ongoing efforts to integrate his forces into the state institutions as a threat.

“We call on all relevant forces, especially our neighbours and Turkey, not to see the integration of the security, military and administrative institutions of Rojava into the Syrian state as a threat. Our integration of all our institutions into the Syrian state will be a factor of peace for our neighbors, Syrians and everyone,” he noted.