WEST OF MANBIJ, Syria — The agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government Oct. 13 has shuffled the cards and changed the balance of power at a time when the Turkish army and the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army continue their assault on the SDF as part of the Turkish military's Operation Peace Spring, which was launched Oct. 9 in northern Syria.
The SDF-affiliated self-administration announced Oct. 13 that an agreement with the Syrian regime was concluded whereby the regime’s forces would be deployed along the Syrian-Turkish border to support the SDF in the face of the Turkish offensive and recuperate the areas it had lost.