Türkiye negotiates with Syria, US over Aleppo SDF operation

Türkiye is in continuous contact with Syria and the United States regarding Damascus’s operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a PKK-designated terrorist group) in Aleppo and is negotiating to resolve the situation peacefully, according to the security sources.

Sources stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is receiving regular updates, while the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) is engaging with the Syrian government and the US to peacefully resolve the situation, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

They noted that Ankara expects the PKK/YPG—the YPG, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Türkiye views as closely linked to the PKK—to refrain from actions that could threaten Syria’s territorial integrity, political unity, or social stability, following days of deadly clashes between the group and Syrian government forces in northern Aleppo.

“Türkiye’s primary aim is preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and centralization,” the sources added.

On January 6, renewed heavy clashes erupted in Aleppo between Syrian government forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after a fragile truce collapsed, with both sides exchanging shelling and drone strikes that killed and wounded civilians and fighters.

The violence intensified amid stalled negotiations over a March 2025 agreement to integrate the SDF into Syria’s security and military institutions, a deal that has faltered and fuelled deep mistrust between Damascus and Kurdish authorities.

In response to the escalation, Syrian authorities suspended flights at Aleppo’s airport and imposed curfews while tens of thousands of residents fled contested Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods through evacuation corridors.

By Jeyhun Aghazada