Syria Prolongs Truce with Kurdish Forces for 15 Days

(MENAFN) Damascus has prolonged a fragile ceasefire with Kurdish military forces for an additional 15 days to facilitate the emergency transfer of Islamic State prisoners from Syrian territory into Iraq, the Syrian defense authority announced Saturday as hostilities threaten to reignite across the volatile northeast.

The Syrian military command declared that "the ceasefire across all sectors of Syrian army operations" will continue for another two weeks, effective 11:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) Saturday, according to official statements released by defense officials.

Authorities justified the prolongation as critical support for a U.S.-led extraction mission removing IS militants from detention centers formerly controlled by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

However, the extension unfolds against escalating recriminations between Damascus and the SDF, with both sides trading accusations of ceasefire breaches and mobilizing forces for potential combat—exposing how precarious recent de-escalation attempts remain following weeks of armed confrontations in northeastern Syria.

The Syrian army's operations command alleged Saturday that the SDF has been funneling reinforcements from Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant groups stationed in Iraq's Qandil Mountains into Hasakah province in the northeast, cautioning that these troop movements jeopardize regional security.

Conversely, the SDF charged Damascus with aggression despite the truce agreement. In a Saturday evening communiqué, the SDF reported that Syrian government forces were executing coordinated military buildups and supply operations throughout Syria's Jazira region and encircling the strategic town of Kobani.

The SDF documented two distinct assaults on its positions earlier Saturday, characterizing these engagements as blatant ceasefire violations.

Syria's foreign affairs official Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad told state-controlled media outlets that the SDF had rejected the authority's diplomatic overtures, claiming the Kurdish faction repeatedly exploits ceasefire agreements to reposition forces.

Northeastern Syria remains a flashpoint as international mediators scramble to preserve the ceasefire, safeguard prison complexes housing IS operatives, and prevent wider conflict that could destabilize an already fractured region.

Relations between Syrian interim authorities and the SDF have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, particularly surrounding facilities detaining IS suspects, despite multiple ceasefire protocols and foreign-brokered negotiations.

Recent violence erupted after a tenuous arrangement requiring SDF forces to vacate territories west of the Euphrates River, permitting government institutions and security apparatus to reclaim strategic positions. Disputes over implementation deadlines and territorial boundaries rapidly triggered fresh hostilities.

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