Kurdish forces in northern Syria ended a weekslong siege of regime-held neighborhoods in two northeastern cities Tuesday, they said, as part of a deal brokered by Russia.
As part of the agreement with Kurdish forces, Syrian government troops allowed supplies to enter Kurdish-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo, an opposition activist group reported.
The deal to end the sieges by government forces and Kurdish fighters in different parts of the war-torn country's north came two days after Kurdish fighters shot one person dead during a pro-government protest. The deal was brokered by Russia, an opposition war monitor said.
Local Kurdish police said in a statement they would end the siege on government-held parts of the provincial capital of Hasakeh province that carries the same name as well and the city of Qamishli along the border with Turkey.
Areas held by the government in Hasakeh and Qamishli are known as the security square. State institutions still function in the areas despite the fact the US-backed Kurdish-led fighters control much of the region.
The Kurds, Syria’s largest ethnic minority, have carved out a semi-autonomous enclave in Syria’s north after the start of the war in 2011. In the area, the Kurds run their own affairs and control most of the country’s oil resources.
In both Hasakeh and Qamishli cities, they share control with government forces, which have a presence in security zones, near the airport and in some neighborhoods. Both cities have a sizeable Kurdish population.
“We at the Internal Security Forces are committed to the unity of Syrian blood,” the local Kurdish police force said, blaming government forces for tension in the cities. On Sunday, Kurdish forces shot dead a pro-government protester in Hasakeh during a demonstration against the siege.
The police force said life returned to normal on Tuesday with the siege lifted and material will be allowed to flow into government-held areas.
Tensions are not uncommon between the two sides in northern Syria and Kurdish officials have said their moves are in retaliation for a government siege on Kurdish areas in the northern province of Aleppo.
Kurdish fighters, who are backed and armed by the US, played an instrumental role in defeating the ISIS group in Syria.
The US-led coalition still has forces in Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria, citing continued joint efforts to weed out the militants’ remnants. The presence of US troops is another reason for tension between the Kurdish and government forces.
