A ceasefire halted clashes between Syrian government forces and the SDF in two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo city this week, but the outburst of violence highlighted how far the two sides are from implementing stalled integration agreements.
As Turkish-linked commanders with dubious human rights records are commissioned as officers and appointed to top military positions in Syria, questions arise over the future of Ankara’s influence in the state and its armed forces.
A six-month window for refugees in Turkey to visit Syria before committing to return is set to close on July 1. In Kilis, a border city transformed by an influx of refugees, many are preparing to leave, while others remain uncertain.
Taha al-Ghazi, a prominent Syrian refugee human rights activist in Turkey, was deported to northern Syria this month, sparking fears of a broader crackdown on Syrians and their advocates.
As Syrians return home, Turkey is losing cheap labor and small businesses, sparking apprehension about the future of the country’s labor market.
Syrians who lived in areas run by the Turkey-backed opposition Syrian Interim Government (SIG) before Assad fell last year face challenges related to the recognition of their official documents by the country’s new authorities.
Three weeks on, little tangible progress has been made towards implementing the SDF-Damascus agreement, which faces a range of internal and external challenges.
Little has changed for Afrin’s Kurds, despite Damascus’ security forces entering on February 7. Violations persist, with returnees finding fighters or civilians occupying their homes and demanding hundreds of dollars to leave.
Twenty people were killed and injured when an AANES-sponsored protest convoy approached an area of active fighting around Syria’s Tishreen Dam on Wednesday and was targeted by Turkish aircraft. What happened, and why?
Kurdish and Arab residents of northeastern Syria described joy at the fall of the Assad regime, while views of the new authorities in Damascus and the future of SDF-held areas range from optimism to trepidation.
