Syria
Fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), alongside the SDF and Syrian flags. Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday denied accusations by Damascus that it was responsible for what Syrian state media claimed was the “execution” of several detainees at a prison in the western Raqqa countryside, instead accusing “government cells” of being behind the act.
In a post on X, the SDF said it had shared a video it said was released by “armed cells affiliated with Damascus,” in which they declare control over Church Prison in the Tabqa region. The Kurdish-led force said the footage was part of a “calculated propaganda move” that preceded the crime and “unequivocally reveals their role in planning and executing this criminal act.
“These same armed men opened fire inside Church Prison,” the SDF said, calling it “a documented and filmed act of aggression” that “serves as clear evidence of the perpetrators and their direct responsibility for the crime.”
Earlier the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) had cited the Damascus government as “strongly condemning” what it described as the actions of the SDF “and groups affiliated with the terrorist [Kurdistan Workers Party] PKK in executing prisoners and detainees” in Tabqa ahead of “withdrawing from the area.”
The Syrian interim government said the incident “reflects the militia-like nature of the SDF organization and its practice of taking civilians and prisoners hostage.” It held the Kurdish-led forces “fully responsible,” pledging “fair legal accountability” and “calling on the international community to condemn the crime.”
The trade of blames comes as the SDF had on Saturday accused Damascus and affiliated armed groups of attacking its forces as they were preparing to withdraw from Deir Hafer and Maskanah in eastern Aleppo, as well as from the Thawra oil field near Tabqa, a former Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold.
“As a result of the Damascus government’s betrayal and its violation of the internationally sponsored agreement, groups of our fighters remain besieged in the cities of Deir Hafer and Maskanah, despite the agreement stipulating a 48-hour withdrawal period for our forces,” the SDF said in a statement on X.
The Kurdish-led forces added that Syrian authorities had “breached the agreement and attacked our fighters using tanks,” holding “the Damascus government and the international guarantor powers fully responsible for the safety and lives of our besieged fighters,” and stressing “the necessity of ensuring their safe passage, with their weapons, to the regions of northern and eastern Syria.”
For its part, SANA reported on Sunday that the Syrian Arab Army’s Operations Command claimed that “64 male and female fighters from the SDF” had “surrendered after being besieged by army forces” in the city of al-Mansoura in the Raqqa countryside.
The Command had earlier stated that the Syrian army “had taken control of the strategic city of Tabqa after expelling what it described as terrorist PKK militias.
The Syrian Arab Army’s operations against SDF positions continue despite a US-brokered truce aimed at ending hostilities in northern Syria. This has prompted calls from US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other US lawmakers for the Syrian government to halt its attacks.
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