All posts tagged: Kurds

Syria Kurds impose curfew in northeast cities before govt deal begins

Syria Kurds impose curfew in northeast cities before govt deal begins

Syrian Kurdish security forces on Sunday announced a curfew early next week in two cities in the country’s northeast, ahead of the implementation of a recent deal struck with the Islamist-led government in Damascus. Syria Kurds impose curfew in northeast cities before govt deal begins Damascus and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive agreement on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds’ military and civilian institutions into the state, after the Kurds ceded territory to advancing government forces in recent weeks. Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, has said the deal would be implemented on the ground from Monday, with both sides to pull forces back from frontline positions in parts of the northeast, and from the town of Kobane in the north. He said a “limited internal security force” would enter parts of Hasakeh and Qamishli but that “no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town”. Kurdish security forces announced a curfew in the northeastern city of Hasakeh from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on Monday, and in the northeast’s main …

An expert explains: As the US moves Islamic State detainees out of Syria, understanding the surge of violence | Explained News

An expert explains: As the US moves Islamic State detainees out of Syria, understanding the surge of violence | Explained News

Parts of Syria have recently witnessed heightened fighting — barely a year after the country emerged from over a decade-long civil war. On Saturday (January 24), the Syrian government and Kurdish forces, active throughout the civil war, extended a ceasefire for another 15 days. Concerns about spiralling violence led the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the US military’s unified command in the Middle East, to order the transfer of up to 7,000 detainees linked with the Islamic State (IS) terror group from Syria to Iraq. At least 100 detainees have already escaped amid the fighting. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump called Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa a “tough guy” who was “working very hard”. What explains the violence, and the interest of countries such as the US and Turkey? A K Ramakrishnan, a retired professor from the Centre for West Asian Studies, at the School of International Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, explains. Who are the Kurds, and why did the US back them in recent years? The Kurds are one of …