Syria, SDF strike deal to end clashes over Aleppo’s strategic Tishreen Dam
The Kurdish militia and Turkish-backed factions have been engaged in heavy fighting over the dam since the fall of the former government
Damascus has reached an agreement with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the strategic Tishreen Dam in the Aleppo countryside, which is Kurdish-held and has recently been the focal point of heavy clashes between Kurds and Turkish-backed militants.
"Syrian Arab Army forces and security forces entered into the Tishreen Dam ... to impose security in the region, under the agreement reached with the SDF," state news outlet SANA reported on Saturday.
SANA said the deal includes the formation of a joint force tasked with protecting the dam. It also calls for the withdrawal of Turkish-backed armed groups "that seek to disrupt this agreement." Many of these groups, part of what used to be known as Ankara’s proxy the Syrian National Army (SNA), are now incorporated within the armed forces of the new Syrian government.
The SDF reportedly withdrawn from Tishreen Dam.
According to a Kurdish source cited by AFP, the agreement stipulates that the dam will remain under Kurdish civilian administration.
Last month, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government made a deal with the SDF for the Kurdish group’s integration into state institutions including the army. However, the SDF did not secure representation in the Syrian government formation announced last month.
It is unclear how the SDF’s integration – particularly into the Syrian army – will commence, as it has for years been at bitter odds with the former SNA groups who are now incorporated into Damascus’ forces. Factions of the SNA coalition included infamous extremist organization such Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.
Additionally, scores of ISIS fighters and commanders were incorporated into its ranks after the fall of Raqqa in 2017.
Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, heavyclashes have raged between the SDF and the Turkish-backed armed groups over control of Tishreen Dam, a major source of irrigation and hydroelectric power in Syria.
The Turkish army provided heavy air cover to the groups fighting the SDF.
Having occupied Syria since 2016, Ankara is now preparing to strengthen its presence in the country by establishing new military bases and officially training the new Syrian army.