Russia withdrawing troops from airport in northeast Syria, sources say

Russia is withdrawing forces from an airport in northeastern Syria, moving to end its military presence in a corner of the country where the Damascus government is trying to seize control from Kurdish forces, five Syrian sources said.

Russia has stationed forces at Qamishli airport in the northeast since 2019, a relatively small deployment compared to its air base and a naval facility on Syria's Mediterranean coast, both of which it is expected to maintain.

Government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa have taken swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces this month, as Damascus aims to assert its authority over the entire country.

A fragile ceasefire between the sides was extended on Saturday for 15 days. Two of the sources said Russian forces had begun a gradual withdrawal from Qamishli airport last week.

Some of the forces were expected to move to Russia's Hmeimim air base in western Syria, while others would return to Russia, one of the sources said.

Another Syrian security source on Syria's western coast said Russian military vehicles and heavy weaponry had been transported from Qamishli to the Hmeimim military airport over the last two days.

There was no immediate comment from Russia's defence ministry. Russian daily Kommersant reported last week, citing an unnamed Syrian source, that the Syrian government might ask Russian forces to leave the base once it had pushed the Kurds out because "there's nothing for them (the Russians) to do there".

A Reuters journalist saw Russian flags still flying at Qamishli airport on Monday, where two planes bearing Russian markings were parked on the runway.

Russia, a close ally of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad, has established ties with Sharaa since he seized power some 14 months ago.

Sharaa told Russian President Vladimir Putin last year he would honour all past deals struck between Damascus and Moscow, a pledge suggesting Moscow's two main military bases in Syria are safe.

Syrian Kurdish forces accuse Damascus of killing five people

The Kurdish forces accused Damascus of killing five people in an attack near the northern town of Kobane on Monday, despite a ceasefire between the two sides.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, which have lost control of large areas to government forces during weeks of clashes, now find themselves restricted to Kobane and Kurdish-majority parts of the northeast.

In a statement, the SDF accused "Damascus-affiliated factions" of killing five civilians and wounding five others from the same family in the village of Kharab Ashk.

It added that the attack came amid "intense shelling that targeted the village using artillery, tanks and unmanned aerial vehicles".

Ankara is a key ally of the new authorities in Damascus and has often launched attacks against Kurdish forces in Syria, whom it has designated terrorists.

In a post on X, senior Kurdish politician Elham Ahmad said the ceasefire "has not translated into any real commitment on the ground".

But Syria's state media accused the SDF on Sunday of launching "suicide drone attacks" near Kobane.

Kobane is hemmed in by the Turkish border to the north and government forces on all sides. It is around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the Kurds' stronghold in Syria's far northeast.

Kurdish forces have accused the Syrian army of imposing a siege on the town.

A UN convoy delivered aid to Kobane on Sunday, after the Syrian military said it had opened a humanitarian corridor.

Kobane, which Kurdish forces liberated from a lengthy siege by the Islamic State group in 2015, took on symbolic value as their first major victory against the jihadists.

In an interview with Kurdish media on Sunday, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said Kobane's battle against IS had "a profound impact" on the creation of the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration.

"We asked Damascus not to enter Kobane. They agreed, and we hope they will abide by this agreement," he said.