Syrian Government Takes War With Kurdish Forces To Eastern Aleppo (Videos)

Click to see full-size image. (SANA/Screengrab)

The Islamist-led Syrian Interim Government on January 13 began escalating against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern Aleppo countryside, declaring a large area controlled by the Kurdish-led group near Lake Assad a “closed military operation zone”.

The announcement came just three days after government forces forced the last of SDF security forces, Asayish, out from the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsuod and Ashrafiyah in Aleppo city, ending the presence of the group there.

In a statement published by Syrian state media, government forces accused the SDF of deploying members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, more known by its acronym PKK, as well as troops from the former Syrian regime in the eastern Aleppo countryside.

A map defining the “closed military operation zone” was also released by Al Ekhbariya TV. It shows a wide area extending from the vicinity of the town of Deir Hafer, passing through the towns of Qawas and Babiri, all the way to the town Maskana on the western bank of Lake Assad.

Click to see full-size image.

Government forces also accused the SDF of launching “Iranian drones” from this area at Aleppo city during the recent battle there.

The forces called on civilians residing in the vicinity of the area to stay away from SDF deployment sites for their safety. They also demanded that all “armed groups” present within the designated area withdraw immediately to the east of the Euphrates River.

In addition, government forces affirmed that it would take “all necessary measures” to prevent the use of this area as a staging ground for attacks or carrying out what it described as “criminal” acts, hinting at the possibility of conducting a military operation there in coming days.

The same accusations were repeated by Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib, who said in a post to X that “restoring security in the city [of Aleppo] is an important step, but it does not dispel the bitterness as long as the suffering of Syrians continues in other areas.”

A day earlier, the SANA released video footage showing a large convoy of government forces, including heavy weapons, heading towards the eastern Aleppo countryside.

Overnight, the SDF indeed brought in large reinforcements to Deir Hafer and nearby areas, including soldiers and officers from the former Syrian military, along with heavy weapons.

The group repeated a series of attacks by government forces during the day, saying in separate statements that Deir Hafer was shelled more than once and that drones were used to target its fighters near Tishreen Dam, further north along the Euphrates River.

From its side, government forces claimed in a statement published by SANA that the SDF blew up a bridge connecting the towns of of Rasem al-Imam and Rasem al-Kroum, then attacked the town of Hmeima with drones. All of these towns are located near Deir Hafer.

The last battle in Aleppo city and the current escalation in the eastern countryside of the governorate are a direct result of the failure to implement the integration agreement signed by the government and the SDF in March of last year.

The government has sought to use the agreement to very much dismantle the SDF, reducing its structure to three divisions under the complete control of its defense ministry. The group refused, however.

While recent developments indicate that government forces are only planning to attack the “closed military zone” around Deir after, fighting could begin simultaneously on multiple fronts, including the Tishreen Dam, also located in the eastern Aleppo countryside, and the city of Tabqah in the southern Raqqa countryside.

An attack from the northern Raqqa countryside -where the government maintains a large pocket stretching along the border with Turkey to the northern countryside of al-Haskah- is also very likely. In fact, journalists loyal to the government have already been spotted in the town of Tell Abyad, which is located there.

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