After five days of armed clashes between the Syrian regime militia NDF (National Defense Forces, Difa al-Watani) and the Internal Security Forces of Northeastern Syria (Asayish), calm has returned to the Tai neighborhood in Qamishlo. A large part of the previously evacuated population has returned after the militia was driven out of the residential area.

The Qamishlo municipality began clearing the partially devastated neighborhood as early as Monday. Damaged power lines were repaired, and roads destroyed by the shelling are being repaired. The NDF had fired shells in the residential neighborhood.

The NDF had been driven out of the neighborhood following a renewed breach of the permanent ceasefire agreed on Sunday through mediation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Russia. The Asayish had agreed to the ceasefire agreement on condition that no further attacks take place. Temporary ceasefires had already been violated by the regime militia several times before.

The Asayish stated on Monday that the people could return because the fighting had ended with the expulsion of the NDF from the neighborhood. It was also announced that the schools used as bases by the militia would be repaired as soon as possible so that classes could continue.

The fighting in Qamishlo had erupted after Difa al-Watani attacked a checkpoint of the security forces a week ago, killing a member of the security forces. Last Thursday, two boys, aged ten and fourteen, were seriously wounded by militia snipers. The younger of the two succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Later in the day, two men, aged 30 and 33, were wounded in an NDF attack on two houses and were taken to hospital by a team from the Kurdish Red Crescent (Heyva Sor a Kurd). In the evening, a tribal leader was shot dead by the militia in front of his house after a de-escalation meeting. On Friday, a fighter from the Rojava Self-Defense Forces died in fighting in Tai.