Syrian army intercepts SDF terrorists in eastern Aleppo

By Laith Al-jnaidi and Rania Abu Shamala

DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Syrian army intercepted members of the SDF, the Syrian branch of the YPG/PKK terrorist group, on Sunday while attempting to infiltrate several military positions east of Aleppo city in northern Syria, local media said.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), army forces "confronted" and "ambushed" a group of SDF terrorists who tried to infiltrate army positions in the village of Tal Maez, east of Aleppo.

SANA, citing an unnamed government source, said other SDF members stationed in Umm Tineh and Deyr Hafir in the Aleppo countryside shelled army positions in Tal Maez in an attempt to release their fighters from the confrontation.

Syrian army forces exchanged fire with SDF, with military reinforcements dispatched to army positions in Tal Maez, the news agency said.

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.

Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last year after 24 years in power, the Syrian government has stepped up security measures. Assad fled to Russia in December, marking the end of the Ba'ath Party’s rule since 1963. A transitional administration, headed by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, took office in January.