Syria regime, Kurds agree truce in Hasakeh

“The terms of the truce state that the Syrian army will pull out of the city, but they can easily re-deploy to military bases around Hasaka”, said Ahelbarra.

But the claim was denied by the YPG, which said that they had not reached any deal with the regime yet.

Fighting between a pro-government militia and Kurdish forces since August 17 has left at least 43 people dead including 27 civilians, among them 11 children, according to the Observatory.

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), and the umbrella group to which it belongs, the Syrian Democratic Forces, are key USA allies in the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey claimed to have been assured by the United States the Kurds would immediately withdraw from the mostly Arab city after expelling ISIS. Last Thursday, YPG-held districts were subjected to aerial bombardment by the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Rami Abdulrahman, Observatory director, said the fighting began after pro-government militiamen detained Kurdish youths, a step that had followed advances by Kurdish security forces towards government-held areas. Turkey’s military fired on Syrian Kurdish targets 20 times with artillery at Manbij on Monday, a Turkish official said.

US Navy Captain Jeff Davis warned Damascus that the US-led coalition would do what was needed to protect its forces on the ground.

“Our correspondent said: “[Kurdish] fighters, as we speak, are surrounding government buildings in Hasaka, giving soldiers an ultimatum: “Either you surrender, or you will be killed”.

Hasakah’s population, swelled by displaced Syrians fleeing areas that fell under DAESH control, is broadly divided along ethnic lines, with Kurds mainly in the city’s eastern neighbourhoods and Arabs in the southern parts.

“Our situation is so far defensive but it will change all the while the regime escalates in this way”, he said.

Clashes erupted last week between the Asayesh and the pro-government National Defense Forces militia (NDF).

U.S. aircrews were “scrambled” – quickly launched from a state of readiness- to defend some special forces soldiers that were in the area, but did not have to engage in combat because the Syrian planes turned and left as they arrived.

They elaborate, “With so many militaries and air forces operating in Syria, the chance for dramatic escalation remains high”.

Syrian government warplanes on August 20 flew over a flashpoint northeastern city despite a warning from us officials against making air strikes where it has military advisers.

The fighting in Hasakeh has also drawn in the Syrian army and the powerful Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

“We are going to tell the Syrians and anyone else who may threaten our force in that area that we will defend them” Cook told reporters on Monday.

Naser Haj Mansour, a Kurdish official in the YPG-affiliated Syria Democratic Forces alliance, said Kurdish forces had taken some additional positions including an economics college.

On Saturday, there had been heavy clashes and thousands of civilians fled from the city.