Syria: Manbij car bomb attack suspends SDF-Damascus talks

A deadly car bomb attack near northern Syria’s Manbij has suspended negotiations between the Damascus interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), two sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye.
The attack on Monday killed at least 20 people, most of them women working in agricultural fields.
The area was captured from the SDF by Turkey-backed armed groups in the Syrian National Army (SNA) coalition in December. Fighting has been ongoing between the factions around the Tishreen Dam to the east.
There have been seven car bombings in and around Manbij since December. No one has claimed responsibility.
The SDF is backed by the United States and dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian arm of the PKK, a Kurdish armed group that has been waging war against Ankara for decades.
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It condemned Monday’s attack and suggested Turkey-backed Syrian fighters could be responsible.
MEE has asked the Syrian authorities for comment.
'This crime will not pass without the most severe punishments being imposed on its perpetrators'
- Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syrian interim president
It isn’t clear if the talks were suspended indefinitely or momentarily.
The Syrian presidency said it would not hesitate to pursue and hold accountable those involved in the attack.
“This crime will not pass without the most severe punishments being imposed on its perpetrators, so that they may serve as a lesson to anyone who dares to tamper with Syria’s security or harm its people,” it said.
The attack triggered an outcry on social media, where many Syrians called for an end to the negotiations with the SDF.
Former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s new interim government had been in talks with the SDF to settle their disputes regarding the future of the country.
SDF leaders are seeking a model that would ensure Kurdish authorities in the northeast maintain autonomy and wish to keep its armed wing as a separate unit under the Syrian defence ministry.
However, Sharaa and his new Damascus government are only willing to individually integrate SDF officers and forces into the national military to establish cohesion within the ranks. The government is firmly opposed to any federal system.
The talks had been progressing slowly, as the two parties were unable to agree on critical details.
The SDF’s political wing, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, did not attend the military conference in Damascus that declared Sharaa as president, calling the event “illegal”.
Over the weekend, Sharaa told The Economist that he was not optimistic about the talks with the SDF.
One of the sources told MEE that Damascus had already warned the SDF not to wage war in civilian areas but the group appears to not be listening.
The clashes surrounding Tishreen Dam also led to the killing of civilians, mostly blamed on Turkish air strikes.
At least 24 civilians have killed in attacks by Turkey or the SNA, according to the SDF.
Turkish officials denied air strikes had targeted civilians, telling MEE that the SDF was pushing civilians into a warzone as a tactic to stop SNA advances in the area.
An MEE correspondent contributed to this report.
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