Tension occurred between the Russian forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the countryside of Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, resulting in a Russian threat to withdraw from the area.
Sources close to the SDF told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the Russian forces sent threats to the SDF to withdraw from Tel Tamr, based on tension between the two sides, after the SDF allowed an American patrol to enter the town, located on the the M4 international highway, south of Ras al-Ayn district, which is currently controlled by Turkey.
The sources said that an American patrol arrived in Tel Tamr, which angered the Russian forces and led to an altercation with SDF members and leaders, which ended with a threat that the Russian forces would withdraw in the event that the American patrol should return to the town again.
According to the sources, the withdrawal of the Russian forces from Tel Tamr puts the SDF in direct confrontation with the Turkish army and the opposition Syrian National Army, as the Russian forces in the region form a buffer that prevents the Turkish forces from advancing.
Russia had deployed its forces in that area following a Russian-Turkish agreement, reached last October, around the areas controlled by the SDF in northern Syria.
Several clashes occurred in northeastern Syria between Russian and US patrols, some of which were verbal altercations while others involved vehicle collision and pursuit operations.
US forces are deployed in bases in the governorates of Hassakeh and Deir ez-Zor in SDF-controlled areas, under the pretext of fighting Islamic State cells and protecting the oil and gas fields in the region.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
