Renewed Clashes Threaten Fragile Peace in Aleppo as Kurdish-Syrian Government Integration Talks Stall
A resurgence of violence in Aleppo, Syria, on December 22, 2025, underscores the precarious state of negotiations aimed at integrating Kurdish forces into the central government, raising fears of a wider conflict.
Fighting erupted Monday in Aleppo between the Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish groups, just as both sides were expected to implement an agreement regarding the integration of institutions representing this significant minority within the central power structure. Both sides quickly called for a cessation of hostilities, yet immediately blamed each other for initiating the attacks.
According to the state-run SANA news agency, “two civilians were killed and eight others injured” by mortar and rocket fire from the SDF, a predominantly Kurdish force, targeting Syria’s second-largest city. The SDF, however, countered that a 57-year-old woman was killed and 17 civilians wounded in an attack carried out by “fighters from government factions” using heavy weaponry.
The clashes centered in the Sheikh-Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, areas held by local Kurdish units, where two civilians were previously killed in October during fighting between the two forces before a ceasefire was established.
The renewed tensions come as negotiations to implement an integration agreement for Kurdish civil and military forces into national institutions by December 31st have stalled. The outbreak of violence coincided with a visit to Syria by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a close ally of the new Syrian authorities, during which he urged Kurdish groups not to “obstruct the stability of the country.”
Fidan had previously warned the SDF last week, stating that partners in the agreement were “losing patience.” “It is important that the SDF integrate into the Syrian administration through dialogue and reconciliation, in a transparent manner, and that they no longer act as an obstacle to Syria’s territorial integrity and long-term stability,” Fidan said during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Assad Hassan Al-Chibani.
Al-Chibani announced that his services had received a response from the SDF regarding a proposal for integration into the Syrian army. “We are studying this response and how it goes in the direction of national interest and a unified Syrian territory,” he stated.
Ankara Views Kurdish Presence as a Threat
Turkey, which shares a 900km border with Syria, launched three offensives between 2016 and 2019 targeting Kurdish Syrian fighters and the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the north of the country. The continued presence of SDF fighters along its border is considered a threat by Ankara. The Kurds, a significant ethnic minority, control vast swathes of northeastern Syria rich in oil and wheat. Supported by the United States, the SDF were at the forefront of the fight against ISIS, which was defeated in Syria in 2019.
“Stability in Syria is important for the stability of Turkey,” Fidan insisted, alongside Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler. The two Turkish leaders met with President Al-Charaa, discussing regional issues and the fight against terrorism and the resurgence of ISIS in Syria.
The situation is further complicated by the political landscape following the December 2024 ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad by Ahmed Al-Charaa, who now serves as interim head of state. While Aleppo has come under the control of the new Syrian authorities, the Sheikh-Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF and their security forces, the Asayiches, despite a withdrawal agreement reached in April.
The stalled integration process and the recent violence highlight the deep-seated challenges to achieving lasting peace and stability in Syria, as competing interests and unresolved grievances continue to fuel conflict. .
