Clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian authorities continued on Tuesday, despite ceasefire statements issued earlier this week. Kurdish forces said they thwarted an attack by factions affiliated with the al-Sharaa government in the Kobani area in northern Syria, with heavy exchanges of fire reported between the sides. According to Syrian sources, the confrontation erupted after the advancing factions moved toward Kurdish positions in the village of al-Jalabiya in the district.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warned of the consequences of continued escalation for the situation in the Kobani area. The assault also targeted several Kurdish towns in the district, sparking fear among residents and prompting many to flee their homes. Residents were seen moving from villages and towns toward the city of Kobani.
At the same time, the Interior Ministry of the al-Sharaa government announced that its forces had entered the town of al-Shaddadi in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, following the escape of Islamic State prisoners from a jail in the town that had been under Kurdish control. The ministry claimed that 120 Islamic State prisoners fled the facility and that security forces were working to track them down and arrest them. It said 81 of the escapees had so far been recaptured.
Forces aligned with the al-Sharaa government continue to seize key positions in eastern Syria. Over the past 24 hours, the factions took control of the Tishrin Dam as well as rural areas in Raqqa and Hasakah provinces, and deployed forces in the eastern al-Jazira region. Earlier, reports emerged of an agreement under which Kurdish forces were to withdraw from the Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa districts.
Against this backdrop, Germany's DPA news agency reported that Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are mostly Kurdish, had backed away from the ceasefire.
As a result, the Syrian Democratic Forces declared a "general mobilization" of the Kurds and called on them to join the "ranks of the resistance." An SDF spokesperson described the move as "a day of historic responsibility." Senior Kurdish official Foza Youssef accused Damascus of seeking total capitulation, saying: "Damascus wants the Kurds to hand over everything. This is an unacceptable surrender."
