ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Thursday received a delegation from the Syrian government, with the two sides discussing the security situation in Hasaka province, including the recent attacks on returning Sari Kani IDPs, with Abdi saying they reached “a number of solutions” to address the issues.

The Syrian delegation that met with Abdi included Ziad al-Ayesh, the presidential envoy overseeing the implementation of the SDF-Damascus deal, and Awad al-Jasim, a Syrian military commander tasked with integrating SDF-associated fighters.

The meeting discussed “issues related to the security and stability of Hasaka province, addressing attacks on state institutions, the issues of displaced civilians, alongside accelerating and completing integration operations,” according to the SDF chief.

Abdi noted that the two sides reached “a number of solutions,” and that the meeting “witnessed a positive atmosphere and serious steps towards addressing these issues.”

The Rojava-based Hawar News (ANHA) further reported that the discussions also addressed “the attacks that targeted civilians displaced from Ras al-Ayn [Sari Kani] who recently returned to their city.”

Preparations to return IDPs to their hometown in Sari Kani were suspended on Tuesday after a group of armed men were seen in footage circulating online beating and assaulting returnees, with the committee for displaced people from the town of Sari Kani in Rojava (northeast Syria) saying the suspension will continue until guarantees are provided for the safe return of displaced families.

“Both sides stressed the need to maintain security and protect returning civilians, as well as to hold those involved in the attacks accountable, in order to ensure the safety of the displaced and contribute to establishing stability in the region,” according to ANHA.

The incident was followed by several large gatherings by the Kurdish residents, protesting the attacks and expressing frustration over the government’s inability to protect returning residents.

Demonstrations were also held in the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane, where angry Kurdish protesters took down the Syrian flag from the Internal Security Forces building and removed a government banner from the district director’s building.

A key point in the landmark January agreement between SDF and Damascus was the return of IDPs, including Kurdish civilians who were displaced in Turkish operations across Afrin, Sari Kani, and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) between 2018 and 2019.

In March, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa agreed to form an official committee tasked with ensuring the return of IDPs from Afrin and Sari Kani to their areas of origin.