Local sources have informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) from the town of Al-Jalabiyah, in the countryside of Kobane (Ain al-Arab), regarding the positioning of factions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Interim Government. These groups include fighters of multiple nationalities, notably Uyghurs and Chechens. Their arrival follows the return of local residents to their homes after being displaced to the center of Ain al-Arab during the earlier offensive on the region by the “Al-Hamzat” and “Al-Amshat” factions.
According to these sources, these factions are deployed across several sites within the area. Their presence has been observed in Al-Jalabiyah near facilities belonging to the Directorate of Education, offices for the families of fallen fighters, and within one of the local primary and preparatory schools.
Sources further reported deployments in the vicinity of the villages of Kharab Ishk, Qalank, and Koktap. Elements are stationed at sites near the LaFarge company and others belonging to a Turkish cement company in the village of Qalank. Additionally, several schools are being utilized as military outposts, sparking significant local concern—especially after many civilian homes were subjected to vandalism, looting, and destruction.
SOHR activists have monitored a state of escalating political and field tension in the Kobane region of northern Aleppo. This follows accusations leveled by the “Autonomous Administration” against the “Interim Government” in Damascus and the Aleppo Governorate administration. The accusations claim a reneging on the terms of the “Integration Agreement” signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Interim Government on January 29.
The “Kobane Administration” issued a public statement asserting that the aforementioned agreement stipulated the integration of institutions, the recognition of local will, and the appointment of local residents to administrative positions within their own institutions. While this was implemented in Al-Hasakah Governorate, the Aleppo Governorate administration has reportedly disregarded these understandings by appointing a director for the Kobane region and administrators for the Sarrin and Al-Jalabiyah districts from outside the region, without coordinating with local stakeholders.
According to SOHR activists, the situation on the ground escalated in the Al-Jalabiyah district, where dozens of residents from Kobane and the surrounding area gathered to issue a protest statement rejecting these “top-down” appointments. However, internal security forces and military units affiliated with the “Interim Government” intervened to forcibly disperse the gathering. Reports indicate they physically assaulted several protesters and attempted to detain others, amid widespread condemnation of these practices, which are seen as a violation of national consensus principles and an obstacle to the implementation of the integration agreement.
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