The Syrian military announced Tuesday evening a new four-day ceasefire with Kurdish-led forces after a previous agreement fell through. There was no immediate response from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The two sides have been clashing for two weeks, amid a breakdown in negotiations over implementation of a deal to merge their forces together.
The announcement came after SDF forces earlier Tuesday abandoned their posts guarding a camp housing thousands of people affiliated with the Islamic State militant group — a move that the Syrian military said allowed detainees to escape.
The al-Hol camp houses mainly women and children who are family members of IS members or accused of being otherwise affiliated with the group.
Kurdish-led forces pull back from disputed zone in Syria
Earlier, the leader of Kurdish-led forces in Syria announced Friday that they will withdraw from a contested area in northern Syria, potentially heading off a major clash with government forces.
The announcement by Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, came as the Syrian military announced it had begun striking SDF positions, while the SDF reported “intense artillery shelling” in the town of Deir Hafer east of the city of Aleppo.
Hours earlier, a US military designation had visited Deir Hafer and met with SDF officials in an apparent attempt to tamp down tensions. The US has good relations with both sides and has urged calm. A spokesperson for the US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Abdi said in a statement posted on X that “based on calls from friendly countries and mediators and in a demonstration of good faith,” the SDF would redeploy its forces to areas east of the Euphrates River Saturday morning.
A wave of displacement
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people carrying their belongings arrived in government-held areas in northern Syria ahead of the anticipated offensive by Syrian troops on territory held by Kurdish-led fighters.
Many of the civilians who fled were seen using side roads to reach government-held areas because the main highway was blocked at a checkpoint in the town of Deir Hafer controlled by the SDF.
The Syrian army said late Wednesday that civilians would be able to evacuate through the “humanitarian corridor” from 9 am to 5 pm Thursday and then extended the evacuation period another day, saying the SDF had stopped civilians from leaving.
