SDF Commander, Syrian Interim Authority Head Hold Phone Call Amid Escalating Clashes

AP

SDF Commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi and Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signing the 10 March agreement.

A phone call was held on Sunday, 18 January 2026, between General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa amid escalating military tensions in northern Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the call focused on efforts to de-escalate the situation following a dangerous escalation targeting areas administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) by Interim Government forces and affiliated factions.

According to the SOHR, the escalation followed heavy clashes over the past 24 hours after Interim Government forces violated an agreement under which the SDF had begun withdrawing from the towns and villages of Dayr Hafir and Maskanah, west of the Euphrates.

Fighting has continued around the Tishrin Dam, east of Aleppo, the Observatory said.

The clashes have also spread to southern Raqqa and several areas of Deir ez-Zor, triggering the displacement of thousands of Kurdish families from areas under the control of the AANES towards cities and rural districts in Hasakah province.




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