This photo released by the official Syrian news agency SANA, shows flames rising from a building after clashes broke out between security forces and Kurdish fighters in neighborhoods of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (SANA via AP)
The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces on Monday ordered their fighters to cease fire following deadly clashes that came as Türkiye's top diplomat urged the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the Syrian army.
At least three people were killed in the clashes, which came ahead of a deadline for implementing a March 10 agreement which obliges the SDF to integrate with Damascus before the end of this year.
State news agency SANA cited the ministry as saying that the Syrian army's general staff had issued "an order to stop targeting the sources of fire".
SDF meanwhile said they had "issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks".
The two sides had earlier traded blame over who started the clashes.
State news agency SANA said on Monday that "two civilians were killed and eight others were wounded in SDF shelling on districts of Aleppo", a city that has witnessed heightened tensions and a previous bout of violence between the two sides in October.
Syria's interior ministry said Kurdish forces attacked government personnel at joint checkpoints in the two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods.
The SDF instead accused "factions affiliated with the interim government" of carrying out an attack on a checkpoint.
The ministry denied attacking SDF positions, while the Kurdish-led force denied targeting Aleppo neighbourhoods.
In October, Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces following deadly clashes in the districts.
Under the March deal between Damascus and the SDF, the civil and military institutions should be integrated into the central government by year end, but differences have held up the deal's implementation despite international pressure.
'Stability'
In Damascus, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a presidency statement said.
Türkiye and Syria have developed close ties since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year and Ankara, a key supporter of the new authorities, sees the presence of PKK/YPG dominated SDF forces on its border with Syria as a security threat.
"It is important that the SDF be integrated into the Syrian administration through dialogue and reconciliation, in a transparent manner, and that it no longer acts as an obstacle to Syria's territorial integrity and long-term stability," Fidan told a press conference with Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani.
Fidan claimed the SDF "do not intend to make much progress" on implementing the March deal.
Shaibani said authorities had received an SDF response to a Syrian ministry proposal on integrating the Kurdish-led forces.
Damascus is studying "this response and how it responds to the national interest in achieving the integration and achieving a single unified Syrian territory", he said.
Last week, a Kurdish official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Damascus's proposal included splitting the SDF forces into three divisions and a number of brigades, including one for women.
The forces would be deployed under SDF commanders in northeast Syria, the official said.
It was Damascus's first written proposal since the March deal, the official added, noting "international and regional efforts" to finalize the agreement by year end.
Türkiye shares a 900-kilometre (550-mile) border with Syria, and has launched successive offensives to push the SDF from its frontier.
Fidan said "Syria's stability means Türkiye's stability".
Shaibani said the talks also addressed "combating terrorism and preventing" a resurgence of the ISIL terror group.
The meetings were held in 3+3 format while the officials held bilateral meetings with their counterparts. The Turkish delegation, including Türkiye’s new ambassador to Damascus Nuh Yılmaz, was also received by Sharaa.
