US Envoy Tom Barrack to Meet SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi in Erbil
US envoy Tom Barrack and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi are set to meet in Erbil, amid rising tensions between the Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces, as Washington seeks to prevent wider military escalation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi are scheduled to meet in Erbil as part of US efforts to prevent a broader military escalation between the Syrian Arab Army and the Kurdish-led SDF.
According to informed sources cited by Al-Monitor, the meeting is set to take place on Saturday, in Erbil. The talks will bring together Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria, and Abdi, the general commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The sources said the meeting will be mediated by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. Discussions are expected to focus on the overall situation in Syria and the latest tensions and disputes between the SDF and the Syrian government.
The planned talks come as tensions have continued to rise, particularly after the Syrian government issued threats of military action against towns in northern and eastern Syria under SDF control.
These threats followed military clashes last week between Aleppo internal security forces and the Syrian Arab Army in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh. After several days of fighting and instability, Aleppo’s internal security forces withdrew from both neighborhoods.
Observers have warned that any renewed confrontation could jeopardize the agreement signed on March 10 last year between Mazloum Abdi and Ahmed al-Sharaa. That agreement had outlined a roadmap for integrating the civilian and military institutions of the Autonomous Administration into Syrian state institutions.
The planned Erbil meeting follows direct engagement by the US-led coalition on the ground in eastern Aleppo amid continued military escalation.
A delegation from the US-led coalition, accompanied by a large number of coalition forces, recently met with commanders of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the towns of Maskanah and Deir Hafer. The meetings took place as artillery shelling and drone attacks continued in the area, according to Kurdish officials.
Farhad Shami, spokesman for the US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF, said the talks were held in Deir Hafer, where Syrian government troops had been deployed near the town while demanding that Kurdish forces withdraw. A Syrian military source separately confirmed that a coalition convoy entered the area, arriving alongside a large number of coalition forces.
The meetings coincided with renewed military activity. In a statement issued by the SDF Media Center at 02:00 AM on Jan. 16, 2026, the SDF said Damascus-affiliated factions continued artillery shelling of populated areas in Deir Hafer.
According to the statement, more than twenty artillery shells struck the city within one hour, in addition to an attack using an explosive-laden drone. The SDF said residential neighborhoods were targeted, posing a direct threat to civilian lives, and added that its forces were monitoring developments and taking measures to protect residents.
The escalation intensified after the Syrian Arab Army redeployed reinforcements from Latakia province toward the Deir Hafer front on Jan. 14, 2026. Syrian state media SANA reported the move followed renewed clashes in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo.
The SDF said “Syrian army-affiliated factions” carried out multiple attacks on areas under its control, including two suicide drone and artillery attacks near the Tishreen Dam. Rocket strikes also hit the village of Umm al-Marra, south of Deir Hafer.
The force reported repelling an infiltration attempt by Damascus-affiliated factions along the Zubaida village axis in the southern Deir Hafer countryside, forcing the attackers to withdraw. Earlier, the Syrian Arab Army had declared several SDF-held areas in the Aleppo countryside, including Deir Hafer, as closed military zones.
Amid the escalation, the SDF warned that ISIS sleeper cells are attempting to exploit the deteriorating security environment to target detention facilities holding ISIS members. It said its forces remain on high alert and that the prisons are currently secure and under full control, while cautioning that continued escalation could undermine stability and threaten prison security.
As fighting continues on the ground and coalition mediation intensifies, the planned Erbil meeting between Tom Barrack and Mazloum Abdi reflects renewed diplomatic efforts to contain a rapidly escalating military situation in northern Syria.