The Syrian army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached a ceasefire deal in two districts of Aleppo city, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday, following a spike in tensions between the two sides.
The Syrian army had redeployed along several frontlines with the Kurdish-led group in northeast Syria, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, saying the move was not a prelude to military action but to prevent repeated attacks and attempts by the SDF to seize territory.
Recent clashes between the two sides have cast a shadow over a landmark deal signed in March between the Kurdish-led SDF and Syria's new Islamist-led government to integrate the SDF into state institutions.
The deal aimed to stitch together a country fractured by 14 years of war and pave the way for Kurdish-led forces that hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with regional Kurdish governing bodies.
Witnesses said the Syrian army had earlier sealed off two neighbourhoods in Aleppo, both under SDF control, prompting scattered protests by residents.
Witnesses also said sporadic clashes continued on the outskirts of the two Kurdish-run neighbourhoods, with residents reporting rockets fired from inside the districts hitting nearby residential areas.
One security officer was killed in an attack on a checkpoint, a security source said. Kurdish fighters associated with the SDF said they had repelled an attack by government forces. Dozens of families in the two neighbourhoods were fleeing for safety, two residents said.
SDF calls for lifting on 'siege'
SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami accused government factions of attempting to enter two Kurdish-held districts of Aleppo with tanks.
He denied accusations that SDF personnel had targeted checkpoints, saying the group had no forces in the two neighbourhoods of Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud.
Farhad called for the lifting of what he described as a siege, warning that the government’s actions were a dangerous escalation that worsens the plight of local residents.
The SDF have stepped up raids in several majority-Arab towns under their control, saying the operations targeted Islamic State sleeper cells. The raids, along with an accelerated campaign to recruit youths for military conscription, have triggered an outcry among some Arab tribal groups who accuse the SDF of discrimination, a charge the group denies.
Monday talks
U.S. Syria envoy Tom Barrack and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper met with SDF commander General Mazloum Abdi and senior officials in northeast Syria, Abdi said on Monday. The talks focused on accelerating implementation of the March agreement with Damascus.
Sporadic clashes have stepped up in recent days, with both Damascus and the SDF accusing each other of provocations.
The March deal, brokered under U.S. auspices after Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, sought to fold the Kurdish-led forces into Syria's institutions and hand key assets, including border crossings, an airport, and oil-and-gas fields, to Damascus by the end of the year. Progress has since stalled amid mutual recriminations.
Washington has also pressed the Kurds to accelerate negotiations to join Damascus under terms acceptable to both sides. Turkey has also accused the SDF of stalling and warned of military action if it does not integrate into Syria's state apparatus.
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Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Romanian authorities are searching for missing crew members following an incident involving a ship in the Black Sea. Romanian President Nicusor Dan attributed the incident to Russian escalation.
From Typhoon Champi in Taiwan and a deadly earthquake in Tibet to severe flooding across Europe and Latin America, communities on several continents have faced a week of devastating weather and natural disasters.
A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake has struck Tibet in southwestern China, killing 16 people and injuring 65, while forcing more than 12,000 residents to relocate as rescue teams respond to widespread aftershocks.
Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain to the island.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order expanding access to tax-exempt diesel as soaring fuel prices frustrate voters ahead of the midterm elections. But farmers say using the fuel on public roads is too risky, while many other drivers cannot get hold of it.
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