Government breach triggers heavy fighting in eastern Aleppo – Ilham Ahmad
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Ilham Ahmad, accused on Saturday the Syrian transitional government of violating a withdrawal agreement in eastern Aleppo, saying that the breach has triggered heavy fighting in the town of Maskanah.
In a statement posted on X, Ahmad said that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had agreed “yesterday” to pull back its units from the western bank of the Euphrates River, including the towns of Dayr Hafir and Maskanah, in line with an internationally mediated arrangement aimed at reducing tensions in the area.
However, she said that forces affiliated with the Syrian transitional government failed to respect the terms of the deal.
“However, units affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government (STG), have violated this agreement,” Ahmad wrote, adding that intense clashes are now underway between both sides inside Maskanah.
Ahmad held the transitional government “fully accountable” for the breakdown of the arrangement and for what she described as the deliberate provocation of violence against SDF forces.
She warned that the escalation risks dragging the wider Aleppo eastern countryside into renewed conflict and undermining efforts at de-escalation brokered by international mediators.
Local sources told North Press that the fighting in and around Maskanah has involved heavy weapons and has raised fears among residents of further displacement, following days of tension along the Euphrates frontlines.
The exchange of accusations comes hours after the Syrian Army’s Operations Command announced that its forces had entered Dayr Hafir and were advancing toward Maskanah, a move the SDF has described as premature and in breach of prior understandings.
Observers say the standoff highlights the fragility of security arrangements west of the Euphrates and the absence of clear, enforceable mechanisms to prevent unilateral military moves on the ground.