A Syrian official says Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed Sharaa met with representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) earlier this week, saying the talks were positive.

The meeting, which took place three days ago, is considered the first official talks between Ahmad Sharaa (Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) and SDF since the rebels led by the Islamic Tahrir al-Sham group overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad on August 8.

The Syrian official, who did not want to be named, told AFP that senior officials of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Ahmed Sharaa met on Monday in Damascus.

"It was a preliminary meeting to lay the foundations for future talks. Both sides have agreed to continue these meetings to reach future understandings," he said.

The official described the meeting as positive and said: "The discussions and meetings will be intensified in the future.

The move comes amid deadly clashes between Turkish-backed forces and SDF in northern Syria over the past month.

On Sunday, Ahmed Sharaa said in an interview with Al Arabiya that SDF should be included in the new national army.

"Weapons must be in the hands of the state alone. We welcome anyone armed and eligible to contact the Ministry of Defense. According to these conditions, we will open a negotiating dialogue with SDF to find an appropriate solution," he said.