ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria's Defense Ministry accused Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of allegedly "targeting" one of the army's positions in the vicinity of Tishreen Dam, east of Aleppo province, with "a guided missile", killing two soldiers and wounding another, despite a ceasefire agreement between the two rival sides to end clashes in the volatile region. The SDF denied involvement.
"SDF forces targeted one of the Syrian Arab Army's positions near the Tishreen Dam east of Aleppo with a guided missile, resulting in the martyrdom of two soldiers and seriously wounding a third," the defense ministry said.
The SDF denied involvement in the deadly incident.
"We in the Syrian Democratic Forces categorically affirm that this information is incorrect, and that our forces did not carry out any attack in the mentioned area," it said in a statement.
"According to the field data available to us, the incident resulted from landmine explosions in the vicinity of the Syrian government military position, and our forces had no involvement in it," the SDF added.
"We in the Syrian Democratic Forces categorically affirm that this information is incorrect, and that our forces did not carry out any attack in the mentioned area," it said in a statement.
"According to the field data available to us, the incident resulted from landmine explosions in the vicinity of the Syrian government military position, and our forces had no involvement in it," the SDF added.
Damascus said the SDF are "renewing their rejection of all previous understandings and agreements, disregarding them completely by targeting army positions and killing its personnel."
The SDF and Damascus have repeatedly in the past accused one another of escalations in the volatile region.
The latest development comes despite the interim government of Damascus and ruling Kurdish authorities of north and east Syria are inching closer to reaching an agreement for integration.
Hours before the fresh skirmish, the SDF said in a statement that it had submitted a list of about 70 commanders to the US-led global coalition "as part of preparations to restructure their units into three divisions and special brigades within the Syrian Army."
On March 10, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark agreement with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The deal aims to bring all civil and military institutions in Rojava - including the SDF - under centralized state control and to establish a nationwide ceasefire.
Talks to implement the agreement have continued since March, though disputes have emerged over how integration should be carried out. The SDF had advocated for integrating its forces as a unified bloc, while Damascus has favored absorbing fighters individually and distributing them across regular army units.
Updated at 9:15 am on October 30, 2025.
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