TUNIS, August 12. /TASS/. Units of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and internal security forces (Asayish) have been put on high alert in the city of Raqqa in northeastern Syria, the Shafaq News portal reported.
The SDF command has placed responsibility for provocations against Kurdish militias and numerous ceasefire violations on the Syrian new authorities. "If they continue attacking our forces, we will be forced to take retaliatory measures as part of legitimate self-defense," the SDF command said in a statement. "We call on the Syrian government <…> to prevent the derailment of our agreements and accords, to refrain from any actions leading to the escalation of tension, and preserve civil peace throughout entire Aleppo’s territory and in other areas."
According to the SDF command, the new Syrian government’s security forces have been gathering for several days in the vicinity of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, intensifying their patrols." "Furthermore, their drones have been flying over the neighborhoods almost continuously in a clear and obvious provocation, with one of them exploding on the outskirts of this area," it said, adding that such actions constitute a ceasefire violation.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement on incorporating the Kurdish force into the Syrian government army on March 10. Under the agreement, control of all civilian and military facilities, including airports, oil and gas fields located in northeastern Syria will go over to Damascus by the end of the year.
However, talks between the interim government and the Kurds in Damascus on July 10 ended to no avail. The SDF delegation insisted on preserving its own military structure and joining the Syrian army as an independent force. Damascus, in turn, demanded that northeastern regions submit to the central authorities, both administratively and militarily.
On August 9, the SANA news agency reported, citing an official source in Damascus, that the Syrian interim government had refused from the talks following a conference organized by the Kurds in the city of Hassakah on August 7 and 8. The conference was not agreed with the Damascus authorities and was attended by "separatist politicians" from the Druze and Alawite communities, the agency said.