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On February 22, an unnamed Syrian security force told the Russian news outlet Sputnik that the Damascus government and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) had agreed on the transfer of control over the town of Tell Rifaat in the province of Aleppo to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
“An agreement has been reached to pass control of the town of Tell Rifaat in Aleppo province from YPG units to the Syrian army. The Syrian army will enter the town within a few hours,” the security source told Sputnik.
Sputnik’s report was supported by several Syrian pro-government activists. They said that a unit of the SAA had already entered Tell Rifaat. However, the YPG is yet to confirm or deny these reports.
Earlier, Syrian pro-government sources reported that the SAA had entered the area controlled by the YPG in the city of Aleppo, including the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Hellok, Bustan Al-Basha, Baidayn and Sheikh Khidr under an agreement between the Damascus government and the YPG.
Governemnt forces also deployed more units and a group of officers in Afrin area on 22. This indicates that the ongoing negotiation between the Damascus government and the YPG is currently witnessing a progress.
However, observers believe that this progress will not be reflected in the areas held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern and eastern Syria, as the US directly controls the situation there.
