US-mediated talks halt Turkish strikes on Syria's Tishrin Dam: AANES

Turkey suspended its offensive around the Tishrin Dam after entering US-facilitated negotiations with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a senior AANES representative told The New Arab.

Fethullah Husseini, AANES's envoy in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, said the United States has been overseeing discussions between Turkish authorities and Kurdish officials, resulting in a provisional cessation of shelling and drone strikes around the strategic hydroelectric facility.

"Turkey has paused its operations at Tishrin Dam, though a formal, comprehensive truce across Syria remains under discussion," he said.

Under the emerging framework, Kurdish-led forces of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will gradually withdraw from the dam complex, which they secured from the Islamic State in 2015, and hand over security responsibilities to units aligned with the interim government Damascus. In turn, pro-Ankara Syrian National Army factions will pull back from the western bank.

Day-to-day oversight of the dam will be managed by a civil council comprising AANES and Syrian government representatives, Husseini added.

He also said that the situation around the dam is calm, that no troops are deployed in the area, and that the civil council is fully running the facility.

Furthermore, Husseini confirmed that the interim Syrian government in Damascus is aware of the understandings with Turkey, and if a final agreement is reached, it would be announced both in Damascus and by AANES, also known as Rojava.

He said both the Syrian government and AANES continue bilateral talks to finalise the arrangements.

Despite the pause in violence, Turkish officials have not yet signed off on a wider ceasefire covering other contested areas along the Euphrates River. Local monitors report that at least 20 civilians were killed in Turkish drone strikes during the campaign's early months.

US logistical support for the SDF continues unabated. Husseini noted, "American assistance remains in place daily, and I expect US forces staying until a lasting political settlement is achieved."

Concurrently, Washington is repositioning its troops in Syria. An official from the northeast Syrian administration in Washington told Rudaw that US units will relocate to two new bases—one near Turkish-held territory and another close to the Syria–Iraq border—while maintaining roughly 400 soldiers in Kurdish-controlled regions.

Analysts view the Tishrin Dam arrangement as a test case for resolving similar flashpoints elsewhere in northeastern Syria. Its success will hinge on all parties honouring the ceasefire, fulfilling troop withdrawals and sustaining joint civil oversight.