The front line between the army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakah is marked by snow-covered piles of earth, dividing two worlds that risk splitting irrevocably. With each passing hour, the prospect of a return to fierce fighting draws closer.
On one side are Arab-majority areas of Syria recently seized by Damascus in a rapid eastward push. On the other is what remains of the once-powerful SDF-controlled territory: a shrunken pocket with a sizeable Kurdish population.
Gunfire burst through the freezing air as Syrian soldiers on the ground tried to bring down SDF drones soaring overhead. “They could strike at any moment,” a member of the security forces warned.
Despite a four-day ceasefire agreed on Tuesday, which has bought a narrow window for talks on how the SDF could be integrated into the central gove
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