ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The US Department of State on Friday said they are engaging in discussions with both Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to find “a managed transition” of the Kurdish-led group in northeast Syria, claiming that the conditions which initially led them to organize have changed.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf said during an online briefing that Washington is working on de-escalating the situation in northeast Syria and establishing a ceasefire around Kobani, amid heightening tensions between the SDF and Turkey and its allied rebel groups in the area.

“We think the better – the best way ahead is for a ceasefire around Kobani and that we work, engage to find what I would call a managed transition in terms of SDF’s role in that part of the country,” said Leaf.

She reiterated that there has been a ceasefire around Manbij, something that Turkish authorities have denied.

The State Department official claimed that the conditions which initially led to the organization of the SDF have changed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

"From December 8th, everything has changed in Syria... the conditions which led Kurds in northeast Syria to organize themselves and to defend themselves as they did were one set of conditions, and things have really changed in a very dramatic fashion," she added.

Leaf noted that the US’ efforts aim at staying focused on the mission of countering ISIS remnants in Syria, while expressing hope that the SDF and the new government in Damascus begin a dialogue on their own.

Clashes have erupted between the Kurdish forces and Turkey and its affiliated rebel groups in SDF-controlled areas since the start of the anti-government group’s campaign in late November, resulting in casualties and leading to the displacement of thousands of civilians.

Ankara has said it would press on with military preparations in northern Syria against the SDF until the groups is disarmed, claiming that the Kurdish-led force is a security threat to Turkey.

The SDF, considered the Kurdish de facto army in Syria and the US’ primary ally in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, controls the bulk of northeastern and eastern regions of Syria, amounting to a quarter of the country's territory.

Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, to be inextricably linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), however, the YPG insists that they merely subscribe to a similar ideology.

During a press conference in Ankara on Friday following a meeting her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said they are "talking intensively" with Turkey and the US about how the security of Turkey and Syria's other neighbors can be guaranteed "without violating Syria's territorial integrity.”

"This also includes disarming the militias and integrating them into a future national security structure," she added while stressing that "security, especially for Kurds, is essential for a free and secure future for Syria.”

On Wednesday, US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Lindsey Graham announced their intent to introduce sanctions legislation against Turkey if Ankara does not agree to a ceasefire in northeast Syria.