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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday it was time for national unity in Syria and called on the SDF to fulfill their responsibilities.
“In Syria, it is time for national unity. The SDF needs to do its part,” Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi in Ankara.
“Instead, it serving Israel’s policy is not a coincidence,” Fidan added, criticizing the group’s role amid escalating tensions.
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 victims, including women, children and infants. The YPG/PYD, which also uses the name SDF, is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
Fidan’s remarks came as Syrian state media reported renewed clashes in Aleppo, where the Syrian army responded to fire from SDF.
According to Syrian authorities, shelling and sniper attacks by the group killed at least five civilians and injured 33 others, as well as one Syrian soldier.
Syria’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the civilian death toll from SDF attacks in Aleppo had risen to five, with 33 people injured.
The SDF shelled residential neighborhoods in the city for the third consecutive day on Thursday, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee, Syrian media reported.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the attacks included shelling of residential areas and sniper fire that wounded civilians in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.
Syrian media reported that the army began responding to sources of SDF fire in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh districts.
On March 10, 2025, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement for the integration of the SDF into state institutions, reaffirming Syria’s territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.
Syrian authorities say the SDF has not taken steps to implement the agreement in the months since it was signed.
The Syrian government has stepped up security efforts nationwide since the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, ending more than two decades in power.
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