Barzani, SDF commander Abdi discuss Syria developments amid Rojava unrest

ERBIL — Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani and Syrian Democratic Forces General Commander Mazloum Abdi held a phone call Sunday to discuss recent developments in Syria and Kurdish areas there, Barzani’s office said.

According to a statement from Barzani Headquarters, the two leaders discussed “the latest events and developments, as well as the situation in Syria and Western Kurdistan (Rojava).”

The call came amid renewed instability in northeastern Syria and ongoing demonstrations across the Kurdistan Region in support of Rojava.

In early January 2026, forces of Syria’s transitional government and allied militias launched a military offensive against predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, including Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, following the collapse of a ceasefire with Kurdish authorities. The fighting involved ground clashes, artillery shelling and incursions by government-aligned units, forcing Kurdish fighters to withdraw from parts of the city.

By mid-January, Syrian government forces advanced into broader Kurdish-administered areas of northeastern Syria, including territory that had been under Kurdish control for more than a decade. Under a subsequent ceasefire arrangement, Damascus assumed military and administrative control over towns such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor that had previously been held by Kurdish forces.

Kurdish leaders have warned that the offensive displaced large numbers of civilians and raised fears of demographic change and ethnic targeting in Kurdish-majority areas. During the fighting, Syrian government forces and allied armed groups have been accused by monitoring groups and Kurdish officials of abuses and possible war crimes, including the destruction of homes and businesses, the displacement of tens of thousands of residents, and reports of summary executions and mutilation of bodies.

On Saturday, Syria’s transitional authorities and the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to extend a ceasefire for at least another 15 days in an effort to reduce fighting, according to announcements by Syria’s Defense Ministry and the SDF.