This Week in Northern Syria [17.2025]

April 23 - 29: Kurdish unity conference, al-Shaibani's US visit, Jaysh al-Islam commander arrested in UAE, and more...

Apologies for the delayed publication. I was on the road this past week and didn’t find the time to put together the newsletter in my normal manner. Therefor this week’s issue is an abridged version, organized by date and placed in front of the paywall. The newsletter will return to its typical format next Thursday.

04/23/25

• NYT correspondent Christina Goldbaum interviewed President al-Shar‘ on various topics including the new government’s foreign policy and US sanctions.

• Hélène Sallon of Le Monde visited al-Sheikh Maqsoud where she interviewed key stakeholders and locals on the ongoing process of local integration.

• Four members of the same family were killed by a landmine in the village of Arab Hassan, located on what had been the SDF-SNA front line north of Manbij. The following day two people were reportedly killed by a mine near the al-Salihiyah bridge in Deir ez-Zour, formerly a front line between the SDF and the regime.

• The Asayish announced the end the security campaign inside al-Houl camp that began the week prior.

• The SDF identified two additional fighters killed in last week’s Turkish drone strike in al-Tirwaziyah, northeastern al-Raqqah.

• SDF commander Mazloum ‘Abdi and SDC Foreign Relations co-chair Ilham Ahmed traveled to Erbil where they held meetings with KRI President Nechirvan Barzani and with French FM Jean-Noël Barrot.

• 32 families left al-‘Arishah IDP camp in central al-Hasakah for their homes in government-controlled parts of Deir ez-Zour.

• Local media reported that a large convoy transported dozens of American military vehicles and equipment out of Syria via the al-Walid crossing with Iraq as part of the ongoing drawdown of US forces. According to SyriaTV the convoy departed from MSS al-Shaddadi, though the origin point was likely the two US bases in Deir ez-Zour currently being shuttered.

04/24/25

• The UK lifted sanctions on various Syrian institutions including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, General Intelligence Directorate and other intelligence and security agencies, in addition to several state media outlets.

• A delegation of Kurdish political figures from Turkey arrived in northeastern Syria, including members of DEM party, to attend the upcoming Kurdish unity conference and later meeting with DAANES, SDC, and ENKS officials.

• Aleppo Governor ‘Azzam Gharib appointed ‘Abd al-Rahman Salamah as ‘deputy supervisor of the Afrin, A‘zaz, al-Bab, Jarabulus, and Manbij regions,’ all previously administered by the Turkish-backed Syrian Interim Government, or in the case of Manbij by the DAANES. See Enab Baladi’s short profile for more on Salamah.

• Syria’s Minister of Finance and Central Bank governor attended IMF and World Bank meetings in Washington D.C., where they discussed efforts at reconstruction and re-integration into the world economy. Several days later Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced that they would settle Syria’s $15 million debt to the World Bank.

04/25/25

• SyriaTV reported that DAANES security forces arrested a local correspondent for Saudi outlet al-Arabiya in al-Qamishli after he posted on Facebook about unannounced arrests of security officials on charges of drug trafficking.

• Foreign Minister As‘ad al-Shaibani was in NYC where he attended a Security Council meeting and oversaw the raising of the new Syrian flag in front of the UN. The following day al-Shaibani met with Arab diplomats reportedly to discuss unifying Arab positions in the UN.

  

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04/26/25

• Commander of SNA faction Jaysh al-Islam ‘Issam al-Buwaydani was arrested at Dubai airport, reportedly in relation to a warrant submitted to Interpol by the former regime. Several days later Jaysh al-Islam officials told Enab Baladi that they had no information on al-Buwaydani’s charges.

• Reuters reported that Syria had submitted a written response to the US regarding eight demands previously made by the latter as preconditions for sanctions removal.

• The long-awaited “Unity of Kurdish Position and Rank” conference was held in al-Qamishli with a speech by SDF commander Mazloum ‘Abdi followed by an address written by KDP President Mas‘oud Barzan and read allowed by Hamid Darbandi. The conference was attended by more than 400 representatives of various Kurdish parties in Syria, as well as delegations from Turkey and Iraq and a US State Department official. The 26 point document produced by the conference calls for federalization and decentralization, the unification of ‘Kurdish regions’ as “an integrated political and administrative unit,” awarding Kurds in Syria national recognition, recognizing the Ezidi faith as an official religion of the state, reversing Arabization policies, and making Newroz (March 21st) and the anniversary of the 2004 Qamishli uprising (March 12th) national holidays, among other demands.

04/27/25

• The Syrian Presidency published a statement “regarding the developments on the agreement with the ‘SDF’ leadership,” stating that “the activities and statements recently issued by the ‘SDF’ leadership, which call for federalism and consecrate a separate reality on the ground, clearly conflict with the content of the agreement and threaten the country’s unity and safety of its soil.” The statement (English translation here via Aymenn al-Tamimi) calls on the SDF to “honestly comply with the contracted agreement.” Turkish President Erdoğan also commented on the demands made at the Kurdish unity conference, calling federalism “nothing more than an empty dream.”

  

• DAANES published a statement detailing the agreement regarding standardized exams and integration reached with the Syrian government’s Ministry of Education in meetings two weeks ago, but claiming that it was still waiting to hear back after the document was passed to “higher political authorities for approval.” Students and families later protested in al-Qamishli, calling for a deal to be finalized.

• 76 Syrian families left al-Houl camp to return to their homes in government-controlled Deir ez-Zour, representing the first such group since the fall of the regime.

04/28/25

• Two separate ferries carrying goods between government and SDF-controlled parts of Deir ez-Zour sank, killing a man. NPA published an article the following day detailing locals reliance of such ferries due to the destruction of most bridges in the province over the course of the war.

• General Security Directorate (GSD) forces arrested a man allegedly responsible for the killing of two ‘Syrian Arab Army’ fighters (presumably SNA fighters) in the Afrin region. According to SANA murders were over a personal dispute and not related to any entity.

• Islamic State militants killed five SDF fighters in an attack targeting a military vehicle and headquarters in Jazrat al-Bu Hamid, western Deir ez-Zour. The statement published by IS’s ‘Amaq news wire said “the attack comes in the context of the ongoing revenge for the prisoners in Al-Houl camp.” The attack was also covered in the group’s al-Naba’ magazine, an English translation of which by Aymenn al-Tamimi can be read here. Meanwhile IS claimed attacks in Abu Khashab, al-Busayrah, Dhiban, and al-Jardhi the same week.

  

  

04/29/29

• FM al-Shaibani spoke to the UN General Assembly calling for the lifting of sanctions on Syria.

• The SDF’s TOL units reportedly carried out a joint raid with coalition forces in the Deir ez-Zour countryside, resulting in the arrest of a suspected IS commander.