While Calm Reigns in Damascus, Battles in Syrias Northeast Rage On

In the Syrian capital, Damascus, the country’s new leader has hosted a national unity conference and welcomed foreign dignitaries as crowds gather at cafes, speaking out freely for the first time in decades.But 400 miles away in northeastern Syria, a region beyond the control of the Damascus government, battles that have been going on for yearsare still raging.Drones buzz overhead day and night while airstrikes and artillery fire have forced thousands to flee their homes.The fight there pits two opposing militias against each other — the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the United States, and a predominantly Syrian Arab militia supported by Turkey.

And the battle has only intensified since Islamist rebels ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad, in early December.Much is at stake in this conflict, including the ability of the new interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, to unify the entire country, control its many religious and ethnic armed groups, and keep in check the terrorist group Islamic State, which has begun to gather strength again in parts of Syria.Neighboring countries worry that instability from any number of factions could spill across their borders.Also hanging in the balance is the fate of Syria’s Kurds, an ethnic minority that makes up about 10 percent of the population.

Over the years, the Kurds have carved out a semiautonomous region in northeastern Syria.One of the driving forces behind the fight in the northeast is the Turkish government’s growing advantage over the Kurds, whom Turkey views as a threat both at home and in neighboring Syria because some violent Kurdish factions have pushed for a separate state.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify acc...