Damascus: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was meeting Tuesday with Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi in the presence of U.S. officials, a Syrian government source told AFP, after deadly clashes overnight in Kurdish-majority districts of Aleppo city.

According to National News Agency – Lebanon, it is the first encounter since July between Sharaa and Abdi, head of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The meeting comes amid stalled efforts to implement a March agreement aimed at integrating Kurdish institutions in Syria’s north and northeast into the state framework.

A separate source close to the meeting, requesting anonymity, mentioned that U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, were also in attendance.