Syrian government forces moved into two northern towns on Saturday after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced their withdrawal in an apparent effort to prevent further clashes.
State media said two soldiers were killed and several others injured in the latest violence. The town of Deir Hafer changed control following deadly fighting earlier this month between government troops and the US-backed SDF in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. The clashes ended with Kurdish fighters leaving three neighbourhoods taken over by government forces.
An Associated Press reporter saw government tanks, armoured vehicles and pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns entering Deir Hafer after bulldozers cleared roadblocks. No SDF fighters were seen on the outskirts of the town.
The Syrian military said its forces had taken full control of Deir Hafer, seized the nearby Jarrah air base and were clearing mines and explosives. Troops later moved toward the nearby town of Maskana, where another military convoy was seen entering.
However, the SDF said Syrian forces violated an agreement by entering Deir Hafer and Maskana before Kurdish fighters had fully withdrawn, warning that the move created a dangerous situation. In contrast, state news agency SANA accused the SDF of breaking the deal by attacking an army patrol near Maskana, killing two soldiers and wounding others.
Over the past two days, more than 11,000 people fled Deir Hafer and Maskana using side roads to reach government-held areas after Damascus announced an offensive to retake the towns.
Civilians flee ahead of possible Syrian army attack in Aleppo
On Friday night, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said his forces would pull out of contested areas in northern Syria and relocate east of the Euphrates River starting Saturday morning.
The easing of tensions followed visits by US military officials to Deir Hafer on Friday, where they held talks with SDF leaders. The United States maintains ties with both sides and has called for calm.
Abdi was also due to meet US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack in Irbil, northern Iraq, on Saturday.
The SDF’s withdrawal came a day after Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree expanding Kurdish rights, recognising Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic and declaring the Kurdish Newroz festival an official holiday.
Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria said the rights of Kurds should be protected through constitutional guarantees rather than temporary decrees, adding that lasting protection must be written into the country’s future constitution.