ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa held a phone call with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Monday, stressing the importance of guaranteeing and protecting the rights of the Kurdish people, between Damascus-linked and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.

The pair “stressed the need to guarantee the rights and protection of the Kurdish people within the framework of the Syrian state,” during the phone call, according to the Syrian Presidency

They further emphasized the importance of “preserving Syria's territorial integrity and independence,” and supporting efforts aimed at attaining stability.

The conversation comes amid ongoing clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus-affiliated faction in northern Syria, despite a recently brokered ceasefire under US mediation.

On Friday, Sharaa issued a decree aiming to guarantee Kurdish rights in Syria, including recognizing Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights, banning ethnic or language-based discrimination, with penalties for inciting sectarian or ethnic tensions.

However, the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) asserted that lasting rights cannot be guaranteed through temporary measures, arguing that meaningful protections must be secured in a permanent, democratic constitution reflecting the will of all Syrian components.

The two leaders also agreed “to continue cooperation in combating ISIS [Islamic State] and eliminating its threats.”

The ongoing clashes resulted in the breaching of several detention facilities in northern Syria housing veteran  ISIS fighters, with a large number of detainees reported to have been released. Both sides have accused the other of the security breaches.

The SDF has for years been in charge of many camps and prisons holding ISIS affiliates and family members in Rojava, after the Kurdish-led and US-backed force fought the lion’s share of the battle and territorially defeated ISIS in Syria in 2019.

The Kurdish-led Rojava administration has repeatedly warned of “real danger” with the factions, harboring an extremist Islamist ideology, attacking the Kurdish-led forces and taking over the prisons. The SDF has also released footage purporting to show the factions releasing ISIS detainees.