Overview

• The March memorandum to fold the SDF into Syria’s armed forces has seen no progress due to unresolved terms over bloc versus individual enlistment.
• An Aleppo clash on August 12 killed a Syrian government soldier and prompted Damascus’s defence ministry to warn that further attacks will have “new consequences.”
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan publicly urged the SDF to honour the integration accord and accused its YPG leadership of leveraging instability for external support.
• On August 13 in Ankara, Turkey and Syria signed a military training and consultancy MoU while reports emerged of Turkish-made armoured vehicles being delivered to Syrian government forces.
• The SDF reports enduring more than 22 attacks by government-backed militias in northeastern Syria, underscoring the mistrust that has stalled implementation.