DAMASCUS: Two Syrian soldiers were killed and another seriously injured in a missile attack on Wednesday near Tishrin Dam in northern Syria, according to state media, though Kurdish forces have denied responsibility and claimed the deaths were caused by landmine explosions.
The Syrian defence ministry, as cited by SANA news agency, accused the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — the military arm of the Kurdish administration controlling parts of northern and northeastern Syria — of launching the missile strike in violation of prior agreements.
“The SDF targeted a Syrian army position near Tishrin Dam with a guided missile, killing two soldiers and wounding one,” SANA reported.
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However, the SDF swiftly rejected the allegation, saying in a statement, “We categorically affirm that this information is incorrect,” adding that the incident resulted from landmine explosions rather than direct fire.
The confrontation comes weeks after both sides agreed to a ceasefire in early October following clashes in Aleppo. Despite that truce, tensions have persisted between Damascus and the Kurdish administration over the future of Kurdish autonomy and the integration of Kurdish institutions into the Syrian state.
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In March, the SDF signed an agreement with Damascus to merge Kurdish military and civil structures into the central government, but the plan remains stalled over disputes about decentralisation — a concept the Syrian government continues to resist.