Published On 20/11/2025
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Last update: 03:28 (Mecca time)
The Syrian Al-Ekhbariya channel reported that clashes broke out last night in the Maadan desert, east of Raqqa, in the northeast of the country, following an attack by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on army positions in the region.
The official channel indicated that army artillery responded to sources of SDF fire after targeting army points in the Raqqa countryside.
Anatolia Agency reported, citing unnamed local sources, that a number of Syrian army soldiers were killed as a result of the SDF attack, without further details, while other local sources reported that SDF members were also killed and wounded as a result of the violent clashes that took place with the army.
Neither party issued an official tally of the losses resulting from the clashes between them.
Increased intensity of clashes between forces #SDF And Defense Ministry forces in the Maadan desert in the countryside #Raqqa Amidst the arrival of mutual reinforcements.#Madan #Syrian_observer #Syria pic.twitter.com/yrk0mowU5E
– Syrian Observer (@Syrianobserve1) November 19, 2025
Clashes that took place weeks ago cast doubt on the agreement signed last March between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the leader of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, which stipulated the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into state institutions, and the affirmation that Kurdish society is an integral component of the people and the state.
The agreement included the inclusion of all the area under the control of the SDF within the wings of the new Syrian administration, including crossings, airports and oil fields, in addition to the return of displaced Syrians to their towns and villages in northeastern Syria, with the implementation of the agreement being completed before the end of this year.
Abdi said – in a speech during a conference in Iraqi Kurdistan yesterday, Wednesday – that his forces “do not pose a threat to anyone,” and stressed that the forces administer areas under the umbrella of the Syrian state.
The SDF commander expressed his hope that all provisions of the March 10 agreement signed with the government would be completed by the end of this year, and said that the agreement was “useful” and “put an end to hate speech and revenge.”