The US State Department said the ceasefire between Türkiye and US-backed rebels has been extended by Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The ceasefire between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces around the northern Syrian city of Manbij has been extended until the end of this week, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.

Washington brokered an initial ceasefire last week after fighting broke out earlier this month as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and ousted Bashar al-Assad.

“We continue to work with the Syrian Democratic Forces and with Turkey on the way forward,” Miller said in a regular press conference, adding that the United States wants to extend the ceasefire for as long as possible.

He added: “We do not want to see any party exploiting the current unstable situation to achieve its narrow interests at the expense of the broader Syrian national interest.”

The Syrian Democratic Forces are the main ally in the American coalition against ISIS in Syria. It is led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a group that Ankara considers an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters it bans and who have been fighting the Turkish state for 40 years.

NATO allies Washington and Ankara supported Syrian rebels during Syria’s 13-year civil war, but their interests clashed when it came to the Syrian Democratic Forces faction.

Washington is closely monitoring any movements by Turkey or Turkish-backed forces in the Kurdish-controlled town of Kobani, but Miller said the United States understands Turkish concerns about the PKK, which Washington and Ankara describe as a terrorist group.

“We understand the very legitimate concerns that Turkey has about the presence of foreign fighters inside Syria, and so we are talking to them about those concerns and trying to find a way forward,” Miller said.

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, expressed on Tuesday the group’s readiness to submit a proposal to establish a demilitarized zone in the city of Kobani in the north of the country, with the redeployment of security forces under American supervision and presence.

He said in a statement on the X website that the proposal aims to address Türkiye’s security concerns and ensure lasting stability in the region.