The agreement stipulates that government forces will enter the Kurdish-controlled northeastern cities of Hasaka and Qamishli, while three army brigades will be formed from SDF forces.
"A ceasefire agreement was reached between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under a comprehensive framework, with an understanding on the phased integration of military and administrative forces between the two sides," the SDF said in a statement.
The group added that the agreement includes "the withdrawal of military forces from contact points, the entry of security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior into the city centers of Hasaka and Qamishli, and the commencement of the integration of security forces in the region."
According to the statement, both sides also agreed to form "a military division comprising three brigades from the SDF, in addition to the formation of a brigade from the Kobane forces within a division affiliated with the Aleppo Governorate."
"The agreement also includes the integration of the institutions of the Autonomous Administration into the institutions of the Syrian state," it added.
The agreement comes after weeks of intense fighting between the SDF and Damascus-affiliated factions after a large-scale offensive which aimed at capturing territory held by the Kurdish-led SDF in northern and northeastern Syria.
The SDF functions as the de facto military force in Rojava and remains a key partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS).
The major offensive led to gradual withdrawal of the SDF from areas under their control including regions in Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and near the predominantly Kurdish province of Hasaka in eastern Rojava.
The bulk of the areas seized by Damascus and its allied forces were previously liberated by Kurdish-led fighters from ISIS following the group’s declaration of its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Under mounting pressure from members of the US House of Representatives and Senate, the US administration brokered a temporary ceasefire between Damascus and the SDF. The truce was extended by 15 days on Saturday after the initial four-day period expired.
The ceasefire aimed to facilitate the safe transfer of ISIS detainees held in SDF-run prisons in northern and northeastern Syria to neighboring Iraq. It also intended to create space for accelerated negotiations between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava.
According to United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
estimates, the fighting has displaced around 100,000 people, most of them Kurds.
The Damascus-SDF agreement "guarantees the return of displaced persons to their homes."
Thursday: Kurdish fighters continue resistance in Hasaka
[Rudaw] Despite the recent extension of a ceasefire between the Syrian Arab Army and Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava), the army continues its attacks. Kurdish fighters have reinforced their positions to prevent further advances by Damascus-affiliated forces.
"Yesterday, they carried out an attack on the Melabya front. There was supposed to be a ceasefire, but they still attacked. We responded and killed nearly 45 gangs. They cannot [defeat us]. We are always ready [to respond] for the sake of Kurds and the Kurdish state. We are ready to fight everywhere. No matter what they do they cannot defeat Kurds," Shoreshvan Qamishloy, a member of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said.
In Hasaka's Muftiya area, only four kilometers from the frontlines, a large number of residents have refused to leave their homes. They say this land is the soil of their ancestors.
"This is Kurdish land and will remain so for good. And the Kurds will win and obtain their rights. Hopefully they will become the most powerful state in the Middle East. I call on all Kurds to remain in their homes, and it is an honor to protect their homes, streets and villages," Ghafour Mahmoud, a resident of the area, told Rudaw.
In the center of Hasaka city, men and women, young and old alike, continue to raise morale for the fighters. The flag they carry symbolizes their determination to live in peace and stability under its shade.
Thursday: Kurds mount strong resistance in a strategic town in Rojava
[Rudaw] Kurdish fighters have mounted strong resistance in the strategic town of Chil Agha in Hasaka province to prevent further advances by the Syrian Arab Army, which reportedly aims to cut off the Kurdish region in northeast Syria (Rojava) from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq.
"Chil Agha is a Kurdish town. Everyone was once comfortable and well-off. No one worked and acted like agha [Kurdish for tribal leader]. Thanks be to God, the situation in Chil Agha is very good. We have a force. Our youth are all vigil. Our morale is high, and we have no fear at all," Nazir Sheikh Mousa, 45, told Rudaw on Wednesday.
Since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas previously held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and near the Kurdish-majority province of Hasaka in eastern Rojava.
The Kurdish-led SDF serve as the de facto military force in Rojava and are a key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS). The areas now seized by Damascus and its affiliated forces were among those the SDF liberated from ISIS following the group’s declaration of its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Despite the heavy waves of Arabization that did not spare Chil Agha, Kurds still make up the majority of the population.
"As long as blood remains in our bodies, we will defend the homeland. We will remain here. Around 20 years ago, there were 90 Kurdish households here. Later, when the [Kurdish] fighters came, they gave them [Kurds] homes and helped them live comfortably. But when this war broke out, they [residents] all left, and we [Kurds] remained alone. We want brotherhood among peoples, but we want Kurds and Kurdistan," said Khalaf Ramadan, a resident of the Kurdish town.
Despite the sound of gunfire and the smoke from tank and artillery bombardments, the defining image of these days in Rojava is one of resistance.