HOURS after Saturday’s expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters, Syria’s defence ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.

The ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by United States forces to transfer accused Isis militants held in prisons in north-eastern Syria to detention centres in Iraq.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.

“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.

Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area of northern Syria it formerly controlled.

Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.

The end of the truce came as government forces sent reinforcements to Syria’s north-east; in an earlier statement on Saturday the SDF said that military build-ups and logistical movements by government forces had been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.”