United States Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said efforts to de-escalate the situation were ongoing amid rising tensions between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government.
In a post on X on Friday, Barrack said that the US “remains in close contact with all parties in Syria and is working around the clock to de-escalate the situation and prevent further escalation.”
The comments come as both sides traded accusations over the failure to implement the March 10 agreement.
The United States remains in close contact with all parties in Syria, working around the clock to lower the temperature, prevent escalation, and return to integration talks between the Syrian government and the SDF.
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) January 16, 2026
Barrack also indicated that Washington was seeking to resume negotiations between the Syrian government and the SDF in the wake of clashes between the SDF and the Syrian army which left at least 24 people dead and more than 100 injured.
Ilham Ahmed, a Kurdish official in the Autonomous Administration, said on Thursday that the government’s claim that the agreement had not been implemented was “incorrect,” adding that “the international community knows this.”
Ahmed also claimed statements by Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa were also viewed as a declaration of war.
Al-Sharaa accused Kurdish forces of failing to implement the agreement he signed last year in Damascus with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, stressing that the deal called for a unified Syria without federalism.
He also warned that the Syrian government would not remain idle, saying he was “not threatening, but describing reality.”
Relations between the two sides have deteriorated amid the stalled implementation of the agreement, which was due to be completed by the end of last year.
Tensions escalated further last week when clashes broke out between Kurdish forces and the Syrian army in Aleppo, before spreading to the eastern Aleppo countryside.
