Syrian government forces entered two towns in the north of the country this morning, after the command of Kurdish-led fighters announced they would evacuate the area, in an apparent move aimed at avoiding conflict.
Two soldiers were killed and some were wounded in the latest clashes, state media reported.
The administration of Deir Hafer changed after deadly fighting erupted earlier this month between government forces and the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. It ended with Kurdish fighters being evacuated from three neighborhoods where government forces took control.
An AP reporter saw government tanks, armored vehicles and other vehicles, including pickup trucks with mounted guns, entering Deir Hafer today after bulldozers removed barriers. There were no Syrian Democratic Forces fighters on the outskirts of the city.
The Syrian army said its forces were in full control of Deir Hafer, had captured the Jarrah air base in the east and were clearing mines and explosives. It added that it would now move towards the nearby town of Maskana, where an AP reporter saw a military convoy enter a few hours later.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement that under the agreement, Syrian forces were to enter Deir Hafer and Maskanah once the withdrawal of Kurdish-led forces was complete.
"Damascus violated the terms of the agreement and entered these cities before our fighters had fully withdrawn, creating a very dangerous situation with potentially dangerous consequences," the SDF said.
Syria's state news agency SANA said SDF fighters "violated the agreement" by targeting a military patrol near Maskanah, killing two soldiers and wounding others. SANA added that government forces were continuing their advance eastward, reaching two villages in the northern province of Raqqa.
Over the past two days, more than 11.000 people have fled Deir Hafer and Maskanah via back roads to reach government-controlled areas, following the government's announcement that it would launch an offensive to capture the towns.
Last night, the main commander of the Kurdish-led fighters, Mazlum Abdi, announced via the X network that his group would withdraw from the disputed areas in northern Syria, after government forces began attacking SDF positions in Deir Hafer.
He said SDF fighters would begin moving east of the Euphrates River from 7 a.m. this morning.
Tensions eased after US military officials visited Deir Hafer yesterday to meet with SDF officials in the area. The US has good relations with both sides and has called for peace.
It was announced that Abidi would hold talks today with the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barak, in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.
The SDF decided to withdraw from Deir Haftar after interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara issued a decree yesterday expanding the rights of the country's Kurds, who made up about 10 percent of Syria's 23 million population before the conflict began in 2011.
Over the past decades, Syrian Kurds have been marginalized and deprived of their cultural rights under the rule of the Baath Party, which led Syria for six decades until the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Al-Sharia's decree recognized Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic and adopted the Newroz festival, a traditional celebration of spring and renewal celebrated by Kurds in the region, as an official holiday.
The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria said on Monday that Kurdish rights should not be protected by "temporary decrees" but should be enshrined in the country's constitution, adding that the decree does not represent a real guarantee for Syria's ethnic groups.
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