ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), received Ziad al-Ayesh, envoy of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, for key talks on the “security and stability” of Hasaka province in northeast Syria (Rojava), days after the return of a convoy carrying hundreds of displaced Kurdish families to a town in Hasaka was marred by attacks from armed assailants.
In a statement on X, the SDF commander said he received presidential envoy Ziad al-Ayash and Awad al-Jassem, commander of the Syrian army's 60th Division - which comprises SDF fighters integrated into the Syrian state in Hasaka - to discuss "a number of important files and issues related to the security and stability” in the Kurdish-majority province.
The meeting further addressed "the attacks on state institutions, the issues of displaced civilians, as well as accelerating and completing the integration processes," Abdi said, adding, "We reached a set of solutions and sensed a positive atmosphere and serious steps toward addressing these files in a way that serves the security and stability of the province."
The key meeting comes days after the first convoy of displaced Kurdish families returning to Sare Kani (Ras al-Ain) in Hasaka came under attack by "saboteurs" on Monday, Sipan Hemo, a Syrian defense ministry official - previously a senior SDF commander - confirmed.
"We condemn and denounce the attacks carried out by a number of saboteurs against families returning to the city of Sare Kani and their attempts to prevent residents from returning to their city," said Hemo, who was appointed deputy Syrian defense minister in March.
Sare Kani and its surrounding areas fell under the control of the Turkish army and allied Syrian armed groups following an October 2019 military offensive that displaced tens of thousands of Kurdish, Arab and other residents.
The return of displaced persons on Monday aligns with a January 29 agreement between the SDF and the Syrian interim government, reached after weeks of intense fighting. The deal established a permanent ceasefire and set out the gradual integration of military, security and civil administrative institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state.
It also outlined measures to facilitate the safe return of displaced people to their hometowns.
The Monday incident sparked protests in at least three major cities in Rojava: Hasaka, Qamishli and Kobane.
Abdi then condemned the attack on Sare Kani returnees, urging accountability as well as restraint on "the Kurdish street," while pointing to coordination with Damascus authorities to facilitate safe returns.
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