SYRIAN INTERIM GOV'T TAKES SECURITY CONTROL OF QAMISHLI AIRPORT UNDER DEAL WITH SDF

DAMASCUS, Feb 22 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Syria's interim government has assumed security oversight of Qamishli airport in the country's northeastern province of Hasakah, marking another step in the implementation of a broader agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate institutions and reduce parallel authority in the region, reported Xinhua.

The interior authority said on Saturday that its airport and border security department had taken over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport, as part of the deal reached earlier this year between Damascus and the SDF.

The latest move follows a series of measures under the agreement, including the deployment of government security forces to parts of Hasakah and Qamishli, joint coordination on security arrangements, and the gradual transfer of control over key infrastructure from the SDF to state institutions.

Qamishli airport, one of the few operating airports in northeastern Syria, has long functioned under a complex arrangement involving the SDF and Syrian state authorities. The airport has served both civilian flights and limited government operations during years of conflict and division.

The agreement between the interim government and the SDF, announced in late January, calls for a phased integration of military and administrative structures, the withdrawal of forces from certain contact lines, and the transfer of border crossings, airports and other strategic facilities to central government oversight.

No immediate changes to flight operations at Qamishli airport were announced. The interior authority said the handover was conducted in coordination with relevant authorities, without providing further details.  

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA