Syria’s SDF releases detainees as 'goodwill' gesture after talks with Damascus
The talks on the situation in Aleppo, where a siege of Kurdish areas is reportedly ongoing, come as the Syrian government and the SDF work on a deal to integrate the Kurdish-led force into the new army.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have handed over detainees from the government’s forces to Damascus, the group said late Monday, as the two seek to reduce ongoing tensions following reports of clashes in Aleppo.
The SDF said in a statement that it received a government delegation Monday in Tabqa, a city about 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Raqqa. The two sides discussed “tensions” in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods and “ways to address them through peaceful means that ensure the safety and stability of residents and prevent any field escalation,” according to the statement.
Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh are two predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo that have been the site of clashes between the SDF and government forces this month.
The SDF said they handed over an unspecified number of detainees from government forces to the delegation, describing the move as a “gesture of goodwill.” The detainees had been captured recently, the SDF said, without providing further details.
