Syria’s army takes control of towns east of Aleppo after Kurdish forces pull back, following a presidential decree recognising Kurdish as a national language.
DEIR HAFER: Syria’s army said on Saturday it had taken control of swathes of territory east of Aleppo city after Kurdish-led forces agreed to withdraw.
The advance follows a presidential decree issued on Friday recognising Kurdish as a “national language” and granting the minority official recognition.
A source in the presidency of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region told AFP that US envoy Tom Barrack was in Erbil on Saturday to meet with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
An AFP correspondent in Deir Hafer saw SDF fighters leaving the town as residents returned under a heavy army presence.
Abdi had committed on Friday to redeploying his forces east of the Euphrates River following calls from mediators.
In statements to state television, Syria’s army said it took control of 34 villages and towns, including Deir Hafer, Maskana, and a military airport.
The army accused the SDF of violating the agreement and killing two soldiers in an attack near Maskana.
It also said it secured the exit of more than 200 SDF fighters and their weapons.
The SDF, meanwhile, accused Damascus of violating the deal by entering towns before its fighters had fully withdrawn.
Syria’s army had deployed reinforcements near Deir Hafer after driving Kurdish forces out of Aleppo city following deadly clashes last week.
The Islamist-led government is seeking to extend its authority across the country following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
Progress on a March deal to integrate Kurdish forces into the state has stalled over differences, including Kurdish demands for decentralised rule.
Friday’s decree was the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since Syria’s independence in 1946.
It stated Kurds are an essential part of Syria and granted nationality to all Kurds, 20% of whom had been stripped of it under a 1962 census.
The Kurdish administration said the decree was a first step but “does not satisfy the aspirations” of the Syrian people.
In Qamishli, resident Shebal Ali said the decree fell short of constitutional recognition for Kurdish rights.
Analyst Nanar Hawach told AFP the decree offers cultural concessions while consolidating military control, and does not address calls for self-governance.
He said Damascus appears to be seeking to drive a wedge between Kurdish civilians and their armed forces.
Kurdish forces control swathes of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast, captured during the civil war and fight against Islamic State.
