Syria’s government is trying “to impose” its vision of Kurdish political rights in the country through force by pushing the SDF back from territory under its control, an analyst says. “Any offensive that goes farther eastwards, the neighbourhoods become more and more Kurdish and less and less Arab, which will make fighting a lot harder,” Rob Geist Pinfold from King’s College London told Al Jazeera. The government does not have any forces east of the Euphrates River because of an agreement with the United States, “so what we’re likely to see is not full-scale war but more likely changing facts on the ground through skirmishes and tribal uprisings”, Geist Pinfold said.
Fighters capture security headquarters in northeastern Syria town
Footage on social media shows the moment tribal fighters took control of the Asayish headquarters – the security and police force in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria – in the town of Markada, in northeastern Syria.
Syria needs to be one land, one army, one community’
Omar Abu Layla, a Syrian affairs analyst based in Damascus, says a key concern for authorities is to ensure a strong central government that governs all communities in the country, without creating a system of special arrangements. The government has made an effort to recognise the rights of the Kurdish minority, he noted, adding it needs to make a clear distinction between Kurds and the Syrian Democratic Forces. “Syria needs to be one land, one army, one community. That is the thing all of the international community believe in,” Abu Layla told Al Jazeera.
Syrian army seizes Euphrates Dam near Tabqa
Syria’s Energy Ministry says the military gained control of the Euphrates Dam near Tabqa town. The seizure comes after government forces captured the area from the SDF earlier today. The US has had to recalibrate its Syria policy to balance years of backing for the SDF, which fought against ISIL (ISIS), against Washington’s new support for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
Raqqa officials urges residents to shelter in place
As Syrian government forces continue their offensive across territories controlled by the SDF, authorities in Raqqa governorate have advised residents to remain in their homes. Syria’s Interior Ministry said its units began deploying in the town of Tabqa after the Syrian army’s expulsion of what it described as “militias of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)”, which is a Turkish armed group. State media said the army took over Tabqa, its adjacent dam and the Freedom Dam, formerly known as the Baath Dam, west of the city of Raqqa. Al Jazeera couldn’t immediately confirm the reports.
Photos: Syrian army takes control of Tabqa town in Raqqa
State of social services in Raqqa ‘very poor’
Syria’s Defence Ministry is adamant about controlling the entirety of Raqqa governorate, east and west of the Euphrates River, Al Jazeera’s correspondent Anas Almaarawi says, reporting from the city. “In the areas which were controlled by the SDF – from eastern Aleppo to Deir Az Zor through Raqqa – the state of services, including healthcare, is very poor,” Almaarawi noted. Government forces are continuing their advance into the northern governorate. The Raqqa Media Directorate has called on residents to stay inside their homes and avoid government buildings because of the escalating security situation.