ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Recent attacks by the Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated factions on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria have killed roughly 1,000 combatants on both sides, a war monitor told The New Region on Wednesday, with clashes ongoing amid a fragile ceasefire.

The Syrian Arab Army has waged a violent campaign on SDF-held areas since early January, with Damascus-linked factions rapidly advancing toward Rojava (northeast Syria) despite several fragile ceasefires being agreed.

Damascus-affiliated factions have taken control of the al-Shaddadi prison and the al-Hol camp in Hasakah, while clashes continue at the al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa. The three sites house tens of thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) members and their families.

The clashes have continued despite several ceasefire attempts, the latest of which was announced by the Syrian defense ministry Tuesday evening, and took effect at 8:00 pm. Despite the truce, SDF reported several artillery shelling attempts by Damascus-affiliated factions.

“The ceasefire agreement has been violated more than 11 times in recent days,” said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, explaining that approximately 1,000 combatants have been killed on both sides.

According to the Observatory, the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria is particularly “under heavy siege and in need of assistance.”

“There is an attempt to reorganize ISIS in Syria in the future,” Abdulrahman warned, with fears of scores of veteran ISIS fighters and their families having escaped during the recent prison breaks.

The Syrian Presidency on Tuesday claimed to have reached “a joint understanding” with the SDF to integrate all military and civil institutions in Rojava into the state within four days, a move later confirmed by the Defense Ministry in a separate statement.

The SDF later announced its “full commitment” to the ceasefire, saying it will not “initiate any military actions unless our forces are subjected” to attacks in the future, the truce however, has been violated by Damascus, according to the SDF's reports, who claimed that they had been targeted minutes after it was scheduled to take effect.

The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed to have reached political and de-escalation agreements with the SDF in recent weeks, but has continued to attack the Kurdish forces and areas, according to the Kurdish-led force.

Minutes before the Presidency statement, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi said Damascus “has not responded” to any ceasefire initiative over the past two weeks, calling on the interim Syrian government to “stop the attacks and return to the dialogue table.”

The expansion of the Syrian Arab Army’s campaign into Rojava has raised fears of potential massacres against the Kurdish forces and Kurdish civilians in the area.