1. Home
2. Middle East
3. Syrian Security Forces Enter Hasakeh City Under Deal with Kurds

Syrian government security personnel on Monday entered Hasakeh city, a stronghold of Kurdish forces, under an integration deal agreed with the Kurds last week, an AFP team reported.

The two sides reached a comprehensive agreement on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds' military and civilian institutions into the state, after Kurdish forces ceded territory to advancing government troops in recent weeks after months of tensions and sporadic clashes.

The government's push to extend its authority across the entire country comes as a blow to the Kurds, who had sought to preserve their de facto autonomy in parts of the north and northeast that they seized while battling the Islamic State (IS) group during Syria's civil war.

AFP correspondents saw a convoy of government vehicles cross a Kurdish forces checkpoint on its way into Hakaseh in the northeast, as armed Kurdish personnel stood at the roadside.

Some residents gathered along the road to welcome the government forces, waving Syrian flags as women ululated.

Marwan al-Ali, the government's recently appointed head of internal security in Hasakeh province, urged the state forces to carry out their tasks "according to the established plans and fully comply with laws and regulations".

AFP correspondents saw Kurdish security forces deployed inside Hasakeh as government forces entered, though streets were empty and shops closed due to a curfew in force until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT).

Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had previously said the deal would be implemented on the ground from Monday, with both sides to pull forces back from frontline positions in parts of the northeast, and from the town of Kobane in the north.

He said a "limited internal security force" would enter parts of Hasakeh and Qamishli, but that "no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town".

A curfew is set to be put in place for the city of Qamishli on Tuesday.

Airport, Oil Fields

Friday's deal "seeks to unify Syrian territory", including Kurdish areas, while also maintaining an ongoing ceasefire and introducing the "gradual integration" of Kurdish forces and administrative institutions.

It also appeared to include some Kurdish demands, such as establishing brigades of fighters from the SDF.

The head of internal security in Aleppo province met with Kurdish forces in Kobane on Sunday, discussing security arrangements and plans for government personnel to enter the town.

Hemmed in by the Turkish border and Syrian government forces, Kobane is located more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Hasakeh, and has long been seen as a symbol of Kurdish fighters' victory against IS jihadists.

The United States, which led a military coalition that backed the Kurds' campaign against IS, has drawn close to Syria's new Islamist authorities, recently saying the purpose of its alliance with the Kurdish forces was largely over.

Information Minister Hamza Mustafa has said the integration deal also includes the handover of oil fields, the Qamishli airport and border crossings to the government within 10 days.

As state forces deploy to Kurdish-held areas, only Druze-majority Sweida will effectively remain outside government control.

Sectarian violence rocked the southern province last year, while the coastal Alawite heartland also saw sectarian massacres.

Syria's Islamist authorities have pledged to protect minorities since taking power after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

AFP