The Syrian army announced on Saturday that the vanguard of its forces has begun entering the area west of the Euphrates River, starting with the city of Deir Hafir in Syria.
اضافة اعلان
Earlier, the Syrian army had urged civilians not to enter Deir Hafir, in eastern Aleppo countryside, amid calm conditions in the city ahead of the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday morning.
In a statement, the Operations Directorate of the Syrian Arab Army said: “We urge our civilian population not to enter the operational area (previously designated) in eastern Aleppo countryside until the Syrian Arab Army completes securing it and removing mines and remnants of war, in order to ensure your safety.”
The Operations Directorate also confirmed that “SDF forces will not be targeted during their withdrawal.”
Local sources in the Deir Hafir area told (dpa) that the city was experiencing calm as the scheduled withdrawal of SDF forces toward the city of Raqqa began, noting that no troop movements had been observed.
The Media and Communication Directorate at the Syrian Ministry of Defense said: “The implementation of the withdrawal of SDF forces from west of the Euphrates will begin on Saturday morning, after which the Syrian Arab Army forces will start entering the area.”
Tens of thousands of civilians were displaced from the cities of Deir Hafir and Maskanah toward areas controlled by the Syrian army and toward Raqqa Governorate after the army opened a corridor through the village of Humaima west of Deir Hafir. However, SDF forces prevented residents from heading to the crossing, prompting them to leave via dirt agricultural roads and water channels.
The Syrian army had begun concentrated shelling operations on SDF positions in Deir Hafir, eastern Aleppo countryside, on Friday evening.
In another statement, the Operations Directorate said: “Our response has begun against positions of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party militias and remnants of the former regime allied with the SDF in the city of Deir Hafir, which were announced shortly ago.”
The Directorate added that “these sites are considered military bases for the SDF and its allies, from which Iranian suicide drones were launched toward our people in the city of Aleppo. They also played a major role in shelling eastern Aleppo countryside and preventing residents from leaving the area.”
Agencies
