Damascus, Syria – Tensions have escalated again in northern Syria after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused Syrian government forces on Sunday of launching attacks on the outskirts of the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani).
This happened despite the extension of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army announced the opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to the city.
The city is experiencing a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
In a press statement, the SDF announced that government forces and allied factions had carried out attacks
on the villages of Sheikhlar (al-Shuyukh) and Zirk, west of Kobani, as well as the village of al-Jalabiya, southeast of the city.
The SDF considered these developments a clear violation of the 15-day ceasefire extension agreement.
This agreement was announced by the Syrian Ministry of Defense just one day prior.
Opening two humanitarian corridors
In response, the Syrian army announced, in a statement carried by the official news agency SANA, the opening of two humanitarian corridors.
One is towards Kobani and the other towards Hasakah province in eastern Syria.
The aim is to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate critical cases.
This comes given the influx of thousands of displaced people into the region in recent weeks as a result of the fighting.
This move coincides with the departure of a UN aid convoy, consisting of 24 trucks loaded with basic food supplies, relief aid,
and fuel, from Aleppo towards Kobani, as announced by the UNHCR representative in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, via the X platform.
The number of displaced people is increasing
Residents of Kobani had reported in recent days a severe shortage of food, water, and electricity.
This is happening alongside the increasing number of displaced people arriving
from areas of northern and eastern Syria where government forces have advanced.
The shortages are particularly true after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
from the predominantly Arab provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
According to field sources, Syrian government forces are now on the outskirts of Kobani,
located in the far north of Aleppo province near the Turkish border.
The city has become almost completely cut off from the remaining areas controlled by Kurdish forces.
These Kurdish forces have withdrawn towards their main stronghold in Hasakah province in the northeast of the country.
This happens amid fears of escalating clashes and further threatening the fragile stability of the region.
