Despite truce, Kurdish authorities in Qamishli fear return of Syrian government-affiliated forces
Under a Russian-sponsored agreement, the Syrian government-affiliated National Defense Forces retreated from the Tayy neighborhood in Qamishli, which is now under the control of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration.
ALEPPO, Syria — The Tayy neighborhood in the city of Qamishli, in the countryside of Hasakah province in northeast Syria, is witnessing a gradual return of basic services. There have been ongoing efforts to secure protection for residents who have returned to their homes since the neighborhood is now under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Autonomous Administration took control of the Tayy neighborhood after it managed to drive out the Syrian government-affiliated National Defense Forces. This came close on the heels of a permanent truce agreement that was reached under Russian mediation on April 25. The agreement ended the fighting between the Autonomous Administration’s internal security forces known as Asayish and the National Defense Forces that broke out in the neighborhood on April 20, pushing the residents to flee toward safer neighborhoods.
As part of the truce agreement, the Russian military police, which sponsored the agreement between the two sides, will conduct joint patrols with the Asayish forces inside the neighborhood.
On April 27, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation at the Khmeimem base, Alexander Karpov, announced the deployment of Russian patrols in the city of Qamishli, with the aim of ensuring an end to the clashes between the two sides. Russia Today news agency quoted Karpov as saying, “After the clashes between Arab and Kurdish residents, the Russian military police are patrolling the neighborhoods in Qamishli, covered by Russian helicopters, in order to prevent any provocations.”
