The Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have accused each other of violating a ceasefire in northern Syria. The accusations were made on January 25 and 26, shortly after the two parties agreed to a 15-day extension of a truce in the region.
Syria’s official state news agency, SANA, reported on Sunday that SDF units had breached the ceasefire by attacking Syrian army positions in the Aleppo countryside. According to a statement from the army’s operations command cited by SANA, the SDF used more than 25 explosive FPV (first-person view) drones in attacks around the city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane.
The statement specified that the drone attacks destroyed four army vehicles and targeted the M4 highway, which connects Aleppo to the coastal city of Latakia. The army command said the strikes resulted in civilian injuries.
The Syrian Defence Ministry, also through SANA, added that SDF drones targeted civilian homes and roads in the town of Sarrin, south of Ain al-Arab, causing multiple injuries. The ministry stated that Syrian army units successfully intercepted and shot down several drones before they reached residential areas.
On Monday, the SDF issued a counter-accusation. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the SDF claimed that the Syrian army initiated attacks on areas southeast of Ain al-Arab. The group alleged that government forces conducted “heavy artillery shelling that targeted residential neighbourhoods.”
The SDF statement said that clashes between its forces and government troops occurred as a result of the alleged attacks and were ongoing. The group also claimed the Syrian government was moving additional military reinforcements, including tanks and armored vehicles, into the area. The SDF statement noted the presence of Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles in the airspace during these events.
The ceasefire extension was announced after an initial four-day truce expired on Saturday night. According to Syria’s Defence Ministry, the extension is intended to facilitate a U.S.-led operation to transfer detainees with alleged links to the Islamic State group from SDF-run prisons to facilities in Iraq.
On January 21, the U.S. military’s Central Command announced the start of a mission to move the detainees from northeastern Syria. The operation began with the transfer of detainees from a facility in Hasakah province.
The recent truce follows a military offensive earlier in the month where Syrian government forces gained control of territory previously held by the SDF in northern and eastern Syria. The Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has stated its goal is to bring all of the country under state control. The SDF, which has maintained autonomous civilian and military institutions in the region for a decade, has not merged with state institutions, a subject of prior negotiations.
