Kurdish controlled syria

After fighting ISIS, Kurdish women fighters search for a place in Syria's new order - analysis

YPJ commander Nowruz Ahmed said Syrian officials rejected the group’s proposal to enter the army as an independent women’s brigade or battalion.

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Kurdish female fighters in northeastern Syria.
KURDISH FIGHTERS from the Qamishli Brigade on parade last month.

The Kurds rose as Syria and Iraq collapsed - now, their fortunes are reversing

BEHIND THE LINES: If and when the current strategy fails, the Kurds may need to be reached again. Hopefully, by the time this occurs, they will be able to take advantage of the moment in full.

|ByJONATHAN SPYER
Children hold signs on the day Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026.

Kurds in Syria, Iraq fight against 'Arabization' with language, but might need to push harder

Both in Syria and Iraq, there are rising reports of pushes for Arabic to become a main language and demographic changes in Kurdish areas, with officials needing to tackle these issues.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria January 7, 2026.

Kurdish women helped defeat ISIS in Syria. What is next for them as SDF dissolves? - analysis

Will the women who played such a heroic and key role in defeating ISIS receive new roles in Syria's new security force, or be left behind?

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

US killed al-Qaeda affiliate leader tied to December attack in Syria, CENTCOM says

US-led coalition planes flew over flashpoint towns in northern Syria where army troops and Kurdish factions clashed on Saturday, a Syrian security source and a Turkish defense source told Reuters.

JANUARY 17, 2026ByREUTERS, GOLDIE KATZ
A member of the Syrian army walks with a weapon in the street as civilians flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

Al-Sharaa issues decree granting Kurdish Syrians full Syrian nationality, legal protections

The decree, which includes eight articles, established that “Syrian Kurdish citizens are an essential and integral part of the Syrian people."

JANUARY 17, 2026ByGOLDIE KATZ
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's fall, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2025.

Aleppo’s forgotten victims: How the West abandoned the Kurds in their time of need - opinion

If humanity is truly to be a shared value, then pain must also be shared. Why do the same eyes that shed tears for Gaza not weep for Aleppo?

JANUARY 14, 2026ByAMED MARDIN
A solidarity protest organized denouncing attacks on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, with demonstrators holding Kurdish flags and placards reading Stop the genocide of Kurds in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, takes place in, Athens, Greece, on January 11, 2026.

After failed truces in Syria, will the newest ceasefire in Aleppo last? - analysis

Amid ongoing clashes with the SDF, Syrian government forces announced a suspension of military operations in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsood, though tensions remain high.

JANUARY 12, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Entrance to the Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo.

US envoy to Syria calls for immediate ceasefire between SDF, Syrian military

United States Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned that the "deeply concerning" clashes may "risk undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime."

JANUARY 10, 2026ByGOLDIE KATZ
US SPECIAL ENVOY for Syria Tom Barrack speaks at a news conference in Damascus in September 2025.

Syria says it has taken control of Aleppo's Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood, Kurdish forces deny claims

The Syrian forces combed through 90% the neighbourhood according to the SANA News Agency, while Kurdish representatives assured Reuters that their forces were still present in Aleppo.

JANUARY 10, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN, REUTERS
Members of the Syrian Civil Defence work to extinguish a fire after shelling amid renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo, Syria, January 8, 2026.

Israel: Syrian attacks on Kurdish minority in Aleppo 'serious and dangerous'

“The attacks by Syrian regime forces on the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are serious and dangerous," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar tweeted.

JANUARY 8, 2026ByTPS, JAMES GENN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria, January 7, 2026

Violent Aleppo clashes risk spilling over into rest of Syria if not contained - analysis

Dozens of civilians were forced to temporarily leave their homes amid shelling and gunfire, amid partial outages of electricity and water, and disruptions to some basic services.

JANUARY 8, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
A member of the Syrian army walks with a weapon in the street as civilians flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

Four killed in Aleppo clashes as Syria seeks deal with Kurdish SDF forces

At least four people were killed as clashes broke out in Aleppo, with Syrian forces and the Kurdish led SDF trading blame amid stalled integration talks.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByREUTERS
Soldiers from the Public Security walk in Aleppo, Syria, April 3, 2025.

US continues to support Syria dialogue with Kurdish-led SDF following Aleppo clashes - analysis

An unnamed official at the US State Department said the US was continuing to support dialogue between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian transitional government.

DECEMBER 24, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Soldiers from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in front of the detainees before the first exchange operation between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government in Aleppo, Syria, April 3, 2025.