Syrian forces arrest YPG/SDF intelligence operative in Aleppo

(MENAFN) Syrian officials announced on Friday that an intelligence operative linked to the YPG/SDF armed group was apprehended in eastern Aleppo province while attempting to blend in with evacuating civilians, with authorities accusing him of plotting “terrorist attacks.”

According to official statements, military security units arrested the suspect in the Deir Hafir area as he was trying to exit the zone “with the aim of carrying out terrorist operations.” The individual was reportedly intercepted during evacuation movements in the area.

Officials also stated that six SDF members stationed on the Deir Hafir front defected and were promptly taken into custody by Syrian forces. Additional requests to defect have reportedly been received from within the designated zone and are currently under review.

The development follows a recent public appeal by the Syrian Army urging members of the SDF to abandon the group and present themselves to the nearest military positions. In a statement, the army’s Operations Command called on “Syrian individuals within the SDF, Kurdish and Arab,” to separate themselves from the organization, emphasizing that the state’s conflict is with “PKK terrorist militias and remnants of the former regime.”

“The homeland welcomes you at any time and place,” the statement said, encouraging members to return to their country and reunite with their families.

In a related incident, a military source said Syrian forces intercepted and shot down a drone on the Deir Hafir axis as it attempted to strike army positions.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that for a second straight day, SDF forces have prevented residents from exiting Deir Hafir through the designated humanitarian corridor in the village of Humaima. As a result, civilians were reportedly forced to take unsafe secondary and agricultural routes to reach areas controlled by the Syrian government.

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