Syrian government security forces deployed in a Kurdish-controlled city in the northeast yesterday, a first step towards implementing a US-backed ceasefire deal that foresees the Kurdish-run regions being merged with Damascus.
The deal, declared on Friday, staved off the prospect of further confrontation between President Ahmed Al Sharaa’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which lost swathes of eastern and northern Syria to government troops in January.
Reuters journalists saw a convoy of more than 30 interior ministry vehicles begin moving towards the ethnically-mixed city of Hasakah from its outskirts in the early afternoon. Sources in the city said they entered shortly afterwards.
Members of the Kurdish Asayish security force observed as the convoy entered the city.
Government forces are expected to be stationed in Syrian state buildings in Hasakah’s so-called ‘security zone’, a Syrian official and a Kurdish security source said ahead of the deployment.
The accord declared on Friday foresees a phased integration of Kurdish fighters with government forces. The United States has hailed the agreement as a historic milestone towards unity and reconciliation after 14 years of civil war.
The SDF was once Washington’s main Syrian ally, playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants.
But its status weakened as President Donald Trump built ties with Sharaa, who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.
The deal includes the formation of a military division that will include three SDF brigades, in addition to a brigade for forces in the SDF-held town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al Arab, which will be affiliated to the state-controlled governorate of Aleppo.
A convoy of 20 aid trucks entered Ain Al Arab, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported.
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