By Rania Abushamala
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Syrian Army on Saturday announced that its forces are advancing toward Tabqa military airport in the western countryside of Raqqa, as part of continued deployments west of the Euphrates River following the withdrawal of the YPG/SDF terror group.
“Our forces are now advancing toward Tabqa military airport from several axes to establish control and expel terrorist PKK militias and remnants of the former regime,” the Operations Command of the army told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The Operations Command added that army units have taken control of the Safyan oil field, the Al-Rusafa junction, and Al-Thawra oil field near the city of Tabqa.
It also issued a warning, saying: “To all SDF elements, whoever seeks safety should move away now; events are accelerating, and those who withdraw now will spare themselves much tomorrow.”
The army further said it had published maps of Tabqa and urged civilians to stay away from sites used by “terrorist PKK militias and remnants of the former regime, allies of the SDF,” describing the locations as launch points for attacks against Syrians and the army.
Separately, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra urged troops to protect civilians in areas from which SDF is withdrawing and to refrain from harming anyone, regardless of affiliation.
In a statement through US social media company X, Abu Qasra told soldiers: “Be as we have always known you—an example of discipline and commitment—faithful to your responsibility to protect civilians and safeguard their property,” stressing the need to prevent any abuses against civilians.
Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian Army announced it had taken control of the town of Dibsi Afnan and was moving toward Tabqa in Raqqa province. It also said it had established full military control over the cities of Deir Hafir and Maskanah in the eastern Aleppo countryside.
The army continues to expand its control west of the Euphrates River following the withdrawal of YPG/SDF terrorists toward the eastern side of the river.
The developments came as Ferhat Abdi Sahin, a ringleader of the YPG/SDF terror group targeted by the army's military operation west of the Euphrates, claimed that terror elements would withdraw to regions east of the river starting 7 am local time (0400GMT).
In March 2025, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement for the terrorist organization YPG/SDF's integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country’s territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.