The Syrian Ministry of Defense has accused the Kurdish-affiliated armed group, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of attacking a Syrian military base. The ministry stated that in rocket attacks by the SDF on a military base in a northern Syrian town, four soldiers and three civilians were injured. The rocket attacks targeted a military base on the outskirts of Manbij in northern Syria. Syrian state media, SANA, reported that the Syrian army’s efforts to defend against the SDF’s rocket attacks were unsuccessful. However, SANA also reported that the military is working to find and take action against those behind the attacks on civilian neighborhoods near the military base.
The SDF is an armed group supported by the United States. The group said they have identified artillery attacks targeting civilian villages on the outskirts of Manbij and are working to respond to these attacks. The SDF suspects that armed groups affiliated with the Syrian government are behind the attacks on these areas. The SDF has not confirmed whether there have been any casualties in these attacks. Syria is currently ruled by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS overthrew the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a coup on December 8, 2024. The interim president of the HTS government is the group’s leader, Ahmad al-Shara.
The HTS government has restructured the Syrian military. It has also opened up opportunities for armed groups operating in Syria to join the military. Accepting this proposal, the SDF also decided to join the Syrian military in March and has drafted an agreement with the government. Large areas of northeastern Syria are still under SDF control. The group took control of these areas in 2015. Analysts believe that if the agreement for SDF to join the Syrian military is implemented, the HTS government will also gain control over the areas currently under SDF control.
