A curfew is in force in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli as Syrian government forces prepare to enter under a new integration deal.
QAMISHLI: Kurdish forces imposed a curfew in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Tuesday.
The move comes ahead of the expected entry of Syrian government troops into the city.
The curfew began early on Tuesday and will remain in force until 6:00 am local time on Wednesday.
An AFP correspondent reported seeing Kurdish security forces deployed in the city with streets empty and shops closed.
The deployment is part of a comprehensive agreement to gradually integrate Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.
The deal, finalised on Friday, seeks to unify Syrian territory and maintain an ongoing ceasefire.
It represents a significant shift for the Kurds, who had exercised de facto autonomy in areas seized during the civil war.
They had been backed by a US-led coalition in battles against the Islamic State jihadist group.
Syrian security personnel entered the mixed Kurdish-Arab city of Hasakeh and the countryside around Kobane on Monday.
Kurdish forces have ceded territory to advancing government troops in recent weeks.
According to Marwan al-Ali, the Damascus-appointed head of internal security in Hasakeh province, a government convoy is expected to enter Qamishli later on Tuesday.
“The integration of Kurdish security forces into the interior ministry’s ranks will follow,” he added.
Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the deal would be implemented from Monday.
He stated that a “limited internal security force” would enter parts of Hasakeh and Qamishli, but that “no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town”.
