Syrian forces enter Deir Hafer near Aleppo after Kurdish fighters agree to withdraw

Syria’s army said Saturday its forces had started entering an area east of the city of Aleppo after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw from the region following recent clashes.

In a statement carried by state television, the army said its forces “began entering the western Euphrates area, starting with the town of Deir Hafer”, after Kurdish forces had agreed to withdraw on Saturday morning.

In a statement carried by state television, the military urged civilians “not to enter the operations area” until the army had secured it and “cleared it of all mines and war remnants”.

After driving out Kurdish forces from Aleppo city last week following deadly clashes, Syria’s army deployed reinforcements near Deir Hafer and told the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to evacuate the area between the town and the Euphrates River, around 30 kilometres further east.

On Friday, Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi committed to withdrawing his US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF on Saturday morning “towards redeployment in areas east of the Euphrates”, based on “calls from friendly countries and mediators”.

The defence ministry had welcomed Abdi’s announcement, saying army troops would deploy in the areas after the SDF withdrew.

The Syrian army had urged civilians to flee the Deir Hafer area in recent days, with at least 4,000 people leaving, according to Syrian authorities.

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Kurdish declared national language

On Friday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday issued a decree declaring Kurdish a “national language”, in an apparent gesture of good will towards the minority after the recent violence.

Syria’s Islamist-led government is seeking to extend its authority across the country following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Kurdish granted national language status in Syria

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Progress on implementing a March deal to integrate the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration in the north into the state has stalled.

But Sharaa’s announcement on Friday is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria’s independence in 1946.

The decree stated Kurds were “an essential and integral part” of Syria, where they have suffered decades of marginalisation and oppression under former rulers.

It makes Kurdish a “national language” that can be taught in public schools in areas where the minority community is heavily present.

Kurdish forces control swathes of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast, much of which they captured during the country’s civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)