Syria Advance on Kurdish-Held Areas as Washington Urges Restraint
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Syrian government troops advanced into Kurdish-held northern territories, seizing key towns and igniting clashes that threaten to disrupt efforts to reunify Syria under a new political agreement.
- The escalation follows recent intense fighting between the Syrian government and the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (S.D.F.), raising concerns about a government push toward Raqqa, a major Kurdish-administered city.
- Raqqa, once the Islamic State's self-declared capital, remains under S.D.F. control with a small U.S. military presence, and Kurdish forces have been reluctant to submit to the new government formed after Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024.
- U.S. military and diplomatic officials urged restraint
