Eurasia Press & News
Accusations are mounting between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) about who is responsible for violating the fragile ceasefire agreement in Hasakah province, at a time when field data indicate an escalation of tension despite the announced understandings.
The four-day deadline agreed between the two sides expires on Saturday, January 24, and it was expected to come up with an understanding on a number of files, most notably the integration of SDF fighters into the army, and the entry of state institutions into the province of Hasaka, and Ain al-Arab.
On the ground, Enab Baladi, through its correspondents, monitored military crowds from both sides, which indicates civility to resume military operations in the event of the failure of the agreement.
SDF accuses government
The Syrian Democratic Forces Media Center (SDF) issued a statement today, Saturday, January 24, accusing the Damascus government of moving “towards escalation despite the ceasefire.”
The statement pointed out that the Syrian government “systematically continues its military preparations and field escalation” in the areas of Al-Jazeera and Kobani, with the monitoring of crowds and logistical movements.
The statement said the SDF was subjected to “two separate attacks in the island area, in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
He considered that Damascus’s military preparations “completely contradict their commitments, and reveal deliberate efforts to thwart the truce and push for war.”
The statement called on the international community to “make urgent efforts to ensure compliance with the ceasefire agreement.”
A subsequent update to the SDF statement said that in a “new violation” of the ceasefire, two of its fighters were injured as a result of “a suicide drone attack carried out by factions loyal to Damascus,” according to the statement, on the village of Safa, south of the city of Chil Agha (Jawadiya). Troops also announced the downing of another drone.
Government: “SDF” stalls
But the director of Arab affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, accused in a statement to the official agency “SANA” that there is “no truth” to what is being circulated about the extension of the deadline granted to the “SDF” to respond to the government’s offers.
Al-Ahmad explained that the SDF “always asks for deadlines and truces to gain time,” and spreads rumors of the extension, “threatening to embarrass the Syrian state.”
He pointed out that the Syrian government has not received any positive response to its offers, which included senior positions in the state, while the past period witnessed “continuous violation of the truce and ceasefire” from the other side.
Al-Ahmad stressed that “all weapons” must be in the hands of the state represented by the ministries of defense and interior, and considered the entry of elements of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) into Syrian territory “a clear violation of international law.”
He stressed that Damascus does not have reservations about certain names from the SDF to fill the positions, provided that the candidates have “patriotism, good reputation and technical ability.”
Background of the agreement
These accusations and statements come a few days after the announcement of the Presidency of the Syrian Republic, on Tuesday, January 20, to reach a new understanding with the SDF on the future of the province of Hasakah, under which the SDF was given a period of four days to consult to develop a detailed plan for the integration of areas in practice.
The Syrian Defense Ministry and the SDF announced their commitment to a four-day ceasefire in compliance with these understandings.
Government forces took full control of the governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, after the military operations that began from Deir Hafer in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
But it did not enter the Kurdish-majority areas, most notably the cities of Qamishli, Hasaka and Kobani, amid negotiations over the management of these areas and the entry of government institutions.
