SECURITY forces affiliated with Syria’s Interior Ministry continued on Tuesday to deploy in Kurdish-dominated areas in north-eastern Syria as part of an agreement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

A convoy of security forces entered the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, in the countryside of al-Hasakah province, where they entered on Monday.

Under the deal, small contingents of security forces reporting to the Interior Ministry will enter Kurdish-majority areas.

Their mandate is limited to securing state-affiliated institutions, including civil registry offices, passport departments and the airport, and to restart work at those facilities.

Security was visibly tightened on Amuda Street, the main road leading into Qamishli, ahead of the deployment.

Streets were largely empty since the SDF imposed a curfew, with shops shuttered and heavily armed SDF personnel and local Kurdish security forces spread across major roads and intersections.

“We are co-ordinating with the other side inside Qamishli for our forces to deploy inside the city,” said the spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry, Nour al-Din al-Baba.

Samer Ahmad, a member of the local Kurdish security forces, said: “All necessary measures have been taken, and our forces are ready to confront sleeper cells and those seeking to carry out acts of sabotage.”