ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian regime forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria reached  a Russian-mediated agreement Feb. 2 to end a 20-day siege in Hasakah and Aleppo amid rising tensions between the two parties.

The agreement raised several questions about whether the two parties would abide by it and if its provisions met the demands of the SDF. 

Under the agreement, the internal security forces affiliated with the Kurdish autonomous administration declared an end of the siege imposed on the regime-controlled areas in Hasakah in northeastern Syria. The forces, known as the Asayish, said in a Feb. 2 statement, “We assert that life will be back to normal and that we will allow the entry of all resources to the areas of presence of the Syrian regime forces in Qamishli and Hasakah.”

They added, “This is a sign of goodwill to preserve the unity of the Syrian territories and soil and to protect Syrians from bloodshed,” noting that the tensions in Qamishli and Hasakah “were created by the Syrian regime forces in an attempt to target the stability in our areas.”