Renewed clashes near Al-Aqtan prison and the 17th Division in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province are driven by attempts to smuggle prisoners linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) out of the area. This according to Brigadier General Elias Hanna, a military and strategic expert.
Hanna described the recent pullback of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) towards Qamishli, a city in northeastern Syria bordering Turkey, as a ‘tactical defensive retreat’ aimed at consolidating their core positions.
Speaking on DZWatch, Hanna explained that the 14-point ceasefire agreement faces significant implementation challenges despite its apparent simplicity on paper. He emphasized that a long-standing ‘crisis of confidence,’ coupled with the absence of on-the-ground mechanisms such as monitoring and accountability committees, hinders adherence to the agreed-upon terms.
Strategically, Hanna noted a perceived ‘amber light’ from the United States in the region. He suggested that while the US and Central Command do not seek the SDF’s defeat, they aim to integrate or maintain it within the framework of the Syrian state.
He further clarified that the current disagreements do not revolve around the SDF leadership’s strategic direction but rather internal differences concerning tactical details on the ground.
Regarding future security arrangements, the military expert indicated that Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces are now under the full control of the Syrian Army. He suggested that the Hasakah and Kobani regions, also known as ‘Ayn al-Arab,’ might be granted a special status, with internal security potentially entrusted to local authorities to address existing sensitivities. The surrounding areas would then fall under the jurisdiction of the Syrian Ministry of Interior and the Syrian Army.
Hanna expressed concern about the volatile situation surrounding prisons, stressing that any PKK attempts to control or manipulate the prison issue would be classified by the Ministry of Defense as a ‘war crime,’ further complicating the security landscape in northeastern Syria. This makes the retreat towards Qamishli an attempt to consolidate forces in this area.
