Immediately following the Oct. 13 Russian-mediated agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian regime for the SDF to relinquish territory under its control to the Damascus government, the Syrian army began deploying to secure oil wells in Raqqa province.
Two weeks later, the regime tightened its grip on the oil fields in southeastern Raqqa province after SDF forces agreed on Oct. 27 to withdraw 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border with Turkey in accordance with a deal signed Oct. 22 by Ankara and Moscow in Sochi. This opened the path for the Syrian army to deploy across 90 kilometers (56 miles) of the border in northern al-Hasakah province, from Ras al-Ain to Qamishli.
