DAMASCUS, Jan 25 (NNN-SANA) – Syria, yesterday, extended a truce with Kurdish forces by 15 days, to support the transfer of Daesh detainees from Syria to Iraq, as tensions in the country’s north-east continue, the Syrian defence authority said in a statement.
“The ceasefire across all sectors of Syrian army operations” has been extended by 15 days, starting at 11:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) last night, according to the statement.
It said that, the decision was taken in support of a U.S.-led operation, to relocate Daesh detainees from prisons previously run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The extension came, amid mutual accusations between the Syrian army and the SDF, of violations and preparations for renewed fighting, underscoring the fragility of recent de-escalation efforts, after weeks of clashes in north-eastern Syria.
Earlier yesterday, the army’s operations authority accused the SDF of bringing reinforcements from Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militias, based in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains, into the north-eastern province of Hasakah, warning that, such movements threatened regional stability.
The SDF, for its part, accused Damascus of moving towards escalation, despite the ceasefire. In a statement issued last night, the SDF said, Syrian forces were conducting systematic military preparations and logistical movements, in Syria’s Jazira region and around the town of Kobani.
The SDF said, its forces had come under two separate attacks earlier in the day in the region, describing the incidents as clear violations of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Syria’s foreign affairs official, Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad, told state media that, there had been no positive response from the SDF to the authority’s proposals, accusing the group of repeatedly seeking truces to gain time.
The latest developments come, as north-eastern Syria remains on edge, with international efforts focused on preventing the collapse of the ceasefire, securing detention facilities holding Daesh suspects, and averting a broader escalation that could further destabilise the region.
Tensions between the Syrian interim authorities and the SDF have recently intensified in the north-east, including areas near detention facilities holding Daesh suspects, despite several ceasefire arrangements and internationally mediated talks.
The latest flare-ups followed a fragile agreement, under which SDF units were to withdraw from areas west of the Euphrates River, allowing state institutions and security forces, to return to key locations. Disagreements over the scope and timing of the withdrawal quickly led to renewed clashes.– NNN-SANA