Curfew in northeast Syria city awaiting entry of govt forces
Northeast Syria's Hasakeh was under a curfew on Monday as government forces were expected to enter parts of the city under an integration deal with the Kurds.
Damascus and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive agreement on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds' military and civilian institutions into the state, after the minority ceded territory to advancing government forces in recent weeks.
AFP correspondents saw Kurdish security forces deployed in Hasakeh city while streets were empty and shops closed, after the curfew came into effect early on Monday. It will remain in force until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT).
Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had 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".
A curfew is set for the city of Qamishli on Tuesday.
Friday's deal "seeks to unify Syrian territory and achieve the full integration" of Kurdish areas, maintains an ongoing ceasefire and introduces a "gradual integration" of the Kurdish forces and administrative institutions, according to the text.
It followed deals and understandings reached in January, including on the future of majority-Kurdish areas of Hasakeh province and on Kobane, and appeared to include some Kurdish demands, such as establishing brigades of fighters from the SDF.
The head of internal security in Aleppo province met with Kurdish forces in Kobane on Sunday, discussing security arrangements but without specifying when government personnel would enter the town.
Hemmed in by the Turkish border and Syrian government forces, Kobane is located more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Hasakeh and is symbolic of Kurdish fighters' victory against Islamic State group jihadists.
The government's push to extend its authority across the country was a blow to the Kurds, who had sought to preserve the de facto autonomy they exercised after seizing vast areas of north and northeast Syria in battles against the IS during the civil war, backed by a US-led coalition.
The United States, which has drawn close to Syria's new Islamist authorities, recently said the purpose of its alliance with the Kurdish forces was largely over.
Information Minister Hamza Mustafa has said Friday's agreement also includes the handover of some oil fields, the Qamishli airport and border crossings to the government within 10 days.
Source: Agence France Presse
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