Russian forces commander to meet with SDF, Syrian gov to end tensions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
9 Aug 2024 19:33

Russian forces commander in Syria arrives at a base to hold talks with the SDF and the Syrian government amid heightened tensions in the northeastern part of the country.

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Russian, Syrian and others gather next to an American military convoy stuck in the village of Khirbet Ammu, east of Qamishli city, Syria, on February 12, 2020. (AP)

The Commander of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria arrived at the Russian Base in the Qamishli Airbase to meet representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government, sources told Al Mayadeen Friday.

The meeting is meant to end heightened tensions in the Syrian cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli in northeastern Syria.

This comes after SDF forces sieged several areas controlled by the Syrian Arab Army in northeastern Syria, where the majority of the region is under the control of the US-backed SDF, except for a few strategic enclaves.

The SDF siege has been ongoing for the past three days and is affecting the movement of Russian forces in Qamishli.

The US-backed SDF made the move after it accused the Syrian government of backing local tribes and clans that attacked its positions in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor governorate. The SDF has also arrested several Syrian Arab Army officers and soldiers outside the enclaves, in an attempt to exert pressure on tribal forces and prevent further attacks on their positions in the countryside.

Arab tribes reject SDF US presence

Arab tribes launched a wide-scale offensive, marking the second most severe offensive by the tribes since September 2023, with the aim of gaining full control over the Deir Ezzor countryside.

Although the SDF commands a far superior force than the Arab tribes and is expected to take back control of the liberated areas, the aim of the attack is to affirm the tribes' rejection of SDF and US forces' presence in the area.

The aim of the attack "is not territorial control but to affirm the tribes' rejection of the SDF and US forces' presence in the area, their control over oil and gas, and their influence on civil and military decisions," Al Mayadeen's sources added, stressing that the attack "is a form of popular resistance against this presence, which will continue until it is completely ended."

They also revealed that the SDF has "no popular support" in the area and that the locals "deal with them as a de facto force."