Syrian Democratic Forces Demand Over $1 Million from Syriatel and MTN

ARK News.. For over a week, northeastern Syria has experienced a complete disruption of mobile services provided by the two Syrian telecommunications companies, Syriatel and MTN, following direct orders from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to halt all operations. The move comes after the companies allegedly refused to pay an annual levy of $1 million.

According to Syria TV, a technical employee at Syriatel—who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons—stated that SDF intelligence, acting on instructions from members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), demanded the shutdown of servers and cell towers last week. The companies were threatened with the arrest of administrative staff and the seizure of their offices in the cities of Hasaka and Qamishli if they failed to comply.

The source added that a meeting was held between SDF intelligence personnel and representatives from both companies, during which Syriatel and MTN were asked to pay more than $1 million, described as an annual financial tax imposed on companies operating in the region.

The administrations of both companies in Damascus reportedly refused to pay any such amount to the SDF, stressing that Syriatel and MTN operate under official licenses issued by the Syrian government and are not subject to any local authority in the area.

The technical source also revealed that the companies have previously faced sustained pressure from the SDF, including the cutting of fiber-optic cables and the vandalism and theft of equipment from broadcast towers—such as electronic devices and solar panels—directly affecting the quality of service.

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