UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Omar Alothmani and Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) – Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said Tuesday that he met with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Damascus and agreed to an immediate ceasefire in northern and northeastern Syria.
“We agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts and military positions in northern and northeastern Syria, with the implementation of the agreement to begin immediately,” the minister said on the US social media company X.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that the agreement covers the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo city in northern Syria.
Internal security forces deployed in Aleppo’s al-Midan district to protect residents and maintain security and stability, the agency said.
According to the Aleppo governor’s office, exams were postponed and classes suspended at all public and private schools, universities, and official institutions in the city on Tuesday due to the current situation.
Local media said a security personnel was killed and others were injured on Monday when PKK/YPG terrorists, operating under the SDF, shelled residential areas around the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo.
PKK/YPG terrorists attacked Syrian security forces with heavy weapons in Sheikh Maqsoud, and also fired mortar shells near Al-Rahman Mosque in Aleppo’s Syriac Quarter, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
On Sunday, the PKK/YPG terrorists launched an attack on Syrian security forces in the Deir Hafer area east of Aleppo, sparking clashes between the two sides.
On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, stressing the country’s territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist agenda. The organization, however, violated the agreement more than once.
Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last December after 24 years in power, the Syrian government has stepped up measures to restore security across the country.
Assad fled to Russia, marking the end of the Baath Party’s rule since 1963. A transitional administration headed by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa took office in January.