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3. Syrians Flee Kurdish-Held Area Ahead of Deadline

Civilians fled a Kurdish-held region of northern Syria on Friday before a deadline set by the army, which seeks to expand its control over the area after driving Kurdish forces from Aleppo.

The government is seeking to extend its authority nationwide following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The US envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, posted on X that he was working "around the clock" to prevent any escalation between Kurdish fighters and government forces, both of which have US backing.

The army has massed significant reinforcements in Deir Hafer, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Aleppo, and ordered the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to evacuate an area between this region and the River Euphrates to the east.

Civilians have been fleeing the area since Thursday on back roads. AFP correspondents saw some using a rickety bridge to cross a branch of the Euphrates.

An army statement said they have up to 5 pm on Friday (1400 GMT) to leave. The military used the same tactic in the city of Aleppo last week, telling civilians to depart before shelling Kurdish-held districts.

"The SDF stopped us from leaving -- that's why we used an agricultural back road and then crossed the bridge," said 60-year-old Abu Mohammad, who was accompanied by relatives.

He said they were heading to a reception centre set up in Aleppo. The Syrian authorities had accused the SDF of preventing civilians from leaving, a claim the group dismissed on Thursday as "unfounded".

In a statement on Friday, the Kurdish forces said the army had shelled Deir Hafer overnight "to put pressure on residents and force them to leave".

On Sunday, government troops took full control of Aleppo city over the weekend after capturing two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods.

It reached a deal in March to fold a Kurdish de facto autonomous administration in the north into the state, but progress on its implementation has stalled.

The SDF controls swathes of Syria's oil-rich north and northeast, much of which it captured during the country's civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade.

AFP