Syrian Army Commander Says Offensive Against PKK-Linked Forces Will Extend to Qamishli

Summary:

A senior Syrian army field commander has said government forces are pressing ahead with operations against PKK-linked groups in northern and eastern Syria, declaring that the campaign will continue toward Qamishli. The remarks come amid reports of withdrawals, internal frictions within the SDF, and heightened coordination between Damascus and Ankara over the removal of non-Syrian militants.

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“They Have Been Defeated,” Commander Claims

Abu Bashir, a field commander with the Syrian army’s 80th Division, said forces operating near Deir Hafir had pushed back fighters affiliated with the PKK and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after what he described as a brief engagement.

“They were a poisonous dagger embedded in the heart of the country. We are removing it,” Abu Bashir told a Turkish newspaper, referring to the PKK-linked structures. “They have been defeated. The final point will be Qamishli.”

He said four army divisions were on standby for operations across Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor, adding that the military campaign would proceed in stages.

The Syrian military did not independently confirm the operational details, and there was no immediate response from the SDF.

Withdrawals, Arson and Security Concerns

Field sources cited by Syrian state-aligned media said fighters linked to the SDF set fire to buildings while withdrawing from Deir Hafir. The same sources reported internal disputes within the group, with some incidents escalating into clashes.

According to these accounts, elements associated with PKK leadership in the Qandil region discussed plans to sabotage key infrastructure, including the Tabqa Dam and the Shuayb al-Dhikr bridge. Syrian forces later entered the city of Tabqa from multiple directions and surrounded militants at the Tabqa airbase, the sources said.

Along the Raqqa–Tabqa axis, security reports also claimed that hundreds of fighters abandoned positions and fled deeper into Syria or toward Iraq. Some were said to be relocating family members from Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to areas including Qamishli, Dirbasiyah and Tel Tamer.

These claims could not be independently verified.

Civilian Evacuations and Next Phase of Operations

Abu Bashir said the army was prioritizing civilian safety and applying controlled evacuation measures similar to those previously used in Sheikh Maqsoud.

“Our primary mission is the security of the population,” he said, adding that the army had identified critical locations where militants had allegedly established headquarters in civilian facilities such as factories, hospitals, mosques and schools.

He said Deir Hafir, located about 50 kilometers from Aleppo, had been fully secured, and warned that retreating fighters were resorting to scorched-earth tactics and drone attacks. The first operational corridor would extend roughly 120 kilometers toward Tabqa, he said, with eastern areas of the Euphrates now designated a military zone.

“After Tabqa, a 50-kilometer Raqqa operation will begin,” Abu Bashir said. “With four divisions and more than 50,000 troops deployed around Aleppo, we will move first toward Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, then to the Qamishli–Kobani axis.”

Focus on Non-Syrian PKK Members

Separately, Turkish and Syrian coordination has intensified around a key provision of a recently signed 14-point framework on integrating the SDF into Syrian state structures: the removal of all non-Syrian PKK members from Syrian territory.

Security sources said Ankara would closely monitor the implementation of the clause, which bars non-Syrian militants from joining Syrian army units and requires their departure from the country.

According to these sources, there are an estimated 8,000 non-Syrian fighters within SDF ranks, including around 2,000 who entered Syria via northern Iraq in recent periods. Many are described as being of Turkish origin, with others reportedly from Iraq and Iran.

Source:  Türkiye Gazette

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