Syrian government forces retake control of key road from Kurds
dpa
BEIRUT (dpa)- Syrian government forces on Wednesday reopened a major highway in northern Syria once controlled by the country's minority Kurds, Syrian state media and a monitor reported.
In October, the Syrian Kurdish militias announced a Russian-brokered deal allowing government forces to deploy in Kurd-ruled areas near the border with Turkey in an attempt to stop a Turkish incursion in the area.
Syria's satate-run news agency SANA said on Wednesday that a highway, dubbed M4, was reopened to traffic after Syrian Army units completed their deployment and set up checkpoints there.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed to dpa the reopening of the route.
The monitor's head, Rami Abdel-Rahman, said the M4 highway is strategically important because it connects Syria's northern province of Aleppo to the province of al-Hassakeh in north-eastern Syria. "This highway is the main artery of northern Syria," he added.
On October 9, Turkey launched a long-threatened offensive into northern Syria, targeting Syrian Kurdish militias that Ankara regards as terrorists.
Two ceasefire deals, first with the United States and then with Russia, brought a pause to the fighting.
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