SDF denies agreement to cede control of Tel Tamr, M4 highway to Russian, Syrian forces

Duvar English

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on Nov. 17 that an agreement is in place to allow the Syrian army and Russian military to control Tel Tamr or the highly strategic M4 highway, amid weeks of continued clashes at both sites.

"Some media outlets published on Saturday, November 16th, 2019 a report about what is called an agreement between Russia, Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces regarding ceasing fire in the city of Tal Tamer and the international road M4 and pass its control for Russian military police and the Syrian government forces,” Rudaw cited SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel as saying.

"We at the Syrian Democratic Forces deny this news," he added.

The SDF was most likely referring to a report published by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Nov. 16.

Citing "credible sources," the UK-based monitor claimed the SDF had reached an agreement to hand Tel Tamr over to Russian forces, "under their guaranteeing by which [Syrian] regime forces and Russian forces get deployed” in the town.

Per the agreement, Turkish-backed Syrian proxies would have to retreat to the “last extent” of the mixed border town of Ras al-Ain in northern Syria and from the M4 highway, to allow Syrian regime troop deployment in those areas.

Tel Tamr, a multi-ethnic, predominantly Christian town, has seen intense fighting for weeks.

The town lies on the M4 highway, the main east-west artery crossing northern Syria. Turkey has set the highway as the border of its so-called safe zone, insisting the SDF withdraw south of the road.

The SDF, reliant on the highway to allow the parts of northern and northeastern Syria it controls to remain connected, insists it lies outside of the proposed safe zone.

The SDF, especially through its Christian factions, have repeatedly stated the strategic importance of Tel Tamr for their movements between Kurdish-controlled areas.

"The Turkish state’s goal is to control Tel Tamr because it is a strategic area and all roads pass through there. Tel Tamr is a smaller version of Syria. There are Kurds, Christians and Arabs. It is also known as a Christian city but there are other [ethnic and religious] groups as well,” Mazloum Abdi, SDF leader, told Rudaw earlier this month.

Fighting in the town was supposed to have ended after an Oct. 17 U.S.-Turkey ceasefire agreement and an Oct. 22 Russia-Turkey deal saw SDF militants withdraw from border areas to a depth of 30 kilometers.

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria on Oct. 9, with the aim of clearing its border from the SDF and setting up a safe zone for the return of Syrian refugees.

Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of SDF, a terrorist organization due to the group being the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) - a group designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.