French hopes of keeping troops in northern Syria crumbled as Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared the United States his country’s sole partner in the region.
"The U.S. is our only interlocutor," Fidan told journalists in Istanbul, dismissing French involvement outright.
This stark diplomatic rebuff came after escalating violence in northern Syria.
Last week, Turkish-backed forces clashed with Kurdish fighters near Manbij in northern Syria, killing 37 people including six Kurdish fighters and five civilians. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 322 people died in the Manbij area since fighting began last month.
These battlefield losses for Kurdish forces aligned with broader policy shifts favouring Türkiye.
U.S. Support Tilts Away From France
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reinforced Türkiye’s stance by acknowledging its concerns about
Kurdish militants in Syria. The support came despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to stand by Kurdish forces. France now maintains only “dozens of special forces” in Syria compared to 2,000 U.S. troops.
As military equations shift, questions about detained fighters added another layer of tension.
Prison Camp Dispute Grows
Türkiye accused France of avoiding responsibility for its citizens held in Syrian detention camps.
French intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner stayed silent when asked about plans to bring back French nationals detained for alleged ties to the Islamic State.
Lerner instead pointed to three concerns: French nationals at large in northwest Syria, adults and children held by Kurdish forces, and the new Syrian government’s approach to armed groups.
The ambiguous French position coincided with changes in Kurdish strategy.
Kurdish Groups Change Course
Kurdish militia leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin showed willingness to join Syria’s new national army, stepping back from calls for autonomy.
"We support the efforts of the new administration for there to be stability in Syria to pave the way toward building constructive dialogue between Syrians," Şahin said after meeting with Damascus authorities.
The emerging Kurdish support for the central government hardened Türkiye’s stance.
Kurdish Protection Plans Fall Through
The Kurdish administration’s bid for French military protection faltered as Türkiye rejected the proposal.
Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official, suggested that “the United States and France could indeed secure the entire border.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot tried to balance Turkish and Kurdish interests but found no success.
However, Fidan turned the tables on France’s security concerns: “What France should do is take back its own citizens, bring them to its own prisons, and judge them.” He called French support of Kurdish groups “wrong” and accused Paris of using them to guard foreign fighters while avoiding repatriation duties.
France’s ebbing military presence in northern Syria mirrors its recent setbacks in Africa. Just as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso ended military cooperation with France, Syria now slips from Paris’s grasp.
The twin losses in Syria and the Sahel paint a clear picture: France’s era of military presence in former colonial territories is drawing to a close, while regional and global powers take centre stage.
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