Sharaa tells Iraq's Barzani Kurds integral to Syria amid fears of Aleppo spillover
More than 140,000 people have been displaced by fighting between Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo and the situation has captured the attention of Kurdistan Region and federal government leaders in neighboring Iraq.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa described the Kurdish population an “integral part of Syria” on Friday during a call with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, after officials in neighboring Iraq expressed concerns about recent clashes in Aleppo.
Sharaa and Barzani discussed recent events in Syria and the region as well as joint cooperation. The Syrian leader pledged “full commitment” to guaranteeing the rights of Kurds in the country, Syria’s official news outlet SANA reported.
Barzani heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraq, the largest Kurdish party in the country.
Background: The Syrian Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo starting at 3:00 a.m. local time on Friday (7:00 p.m. EST Thursday), calling on armed groups to leave the Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid neighborhoods, where the recent fighting has been concentrated. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces did not immediately respond to the announcement and fighters had not left in the hours following it, according to the Associated Press.
