(Reuters) -The Syrian army has redeployed along several frontlines with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, following a spike in tensions between the two sides.
The statement emphasized the move was not a prelude to military action, but intended to prevent repeated attacks and attempts by the Kurdish-led group to seize territory.
Witnesses said the army had earlier sealed off two districts in Aleppo city under SDF control, prompting scattered protests by residents.
Witnesses said sporadic clashes continued on the outskirts of the two Kurdish-run neighbourhoods, with residents reporting rockets fired from inside the districts hitting residential areas nearby.
One security officer was killed in an attack on a checkpoint, a security source said. Kurdish fighters associated with the SDF said they had repelled an attack by government forces. Dozens of families in the two neighbourhoods were fleeing for safety, two residents told Reuters.
SDF CALLS FOR LIFTING OF SIEGE
Kurdish SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami accused factions belonging to the Damascus government of attempting to enter two Kurdish-held districts of Aleppo with tanks.
He denied accusations that SDF personnel had targeted checkpoints, saying the group had no forces in the two neighborhoods of Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud.
Farhad called for the lifting of what he described as a siege, warning that the government’s actions were a dangerous escalation that worsens the plight of local residents.
The SDF have stepped up raids in several majority-Arab towns under their control, saying the operations target Islamic State sleeper cells. The raids, along with an accelerated campaign to recruit youths for military conscription, have triggered an outcry among some Arab tribal groups who accuse the SDF of discrimination, a charge the group denies.
U.S. Syria envoy Tom Barrack and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper earlier met with SDF commander General Mazloum Abdi and senior officials in northeast Syria, officials said. The talks focused on accelerating implementation of the March agreement with Damascus.
Sporadic clashes have stepped up in recent days, with both Damascus and the SDF accusing each other of provocations.
In March, both sides reached a landmark agreement under U.S. auspices for integrating the Kurdish-led forces into Syria’s institutions by year-end, including transferring control of border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields to Damascus. But implementation has been slow amid mutual accusations of stalling.
Washington has also pressed the Kurds to accelerate negotiations to join Damascus under terms acceptable to both sides. Turkey has also accused the SDF of stalling and warned of military action if it does not integrate into Syria’s state apparatus.
(Reporting by Suleiman Al-KhalidiEditing by Bill Berkrot)
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