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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump told Rudaw late Friday that he wants the tensions between the Syrian Arab Army and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo to be stopped.
"I want to see peace, yes, I do. The Kurds and the Syrian government-we get along with both, as you know very well. They have been natural enemies over the years, but we get along with both,” Trump said following a meeting with oil and gas executives.
Clashes between Damascus-affiliated forces and Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish) have destroyed hundreds of homes in Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in recent days, displacing thousands, with tens reported killed.
“We want to see Syria succeed. And so far, I think they are succeeding, but this is just breaking out, and we want to see that stopped,” he added.
A brief ceasefire brokered by the US and France collapsed on Friday as Damascus-affiliated forces sought to expel Kurdish fighters from the city and transfer them to northeast Syria (Rojava). The local council administering the neighborhoods rejected the proposal, saying they would remain there and “defend” the neighborhoods.
The escalation comes despite a landmark agreement reached in March between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) establishing a nationwide ceasefire. Talks between the two sides are ongoing, but the latest round, held on Sunday, failed to produce tangible results, according to Syrian state media.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack spoke by phone on Friday with President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Region's strongest party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). According to Barzani’s office, both sides stressed “the need to make every effort to prevent the continuation of tensions and unrest, to restore normal conditions, and to take serious steps toward achieving security, stability, and peace.”
Updated at 12:28 am, January 10, 2026
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