A UN humanitarian convoy reached the Kurdish-majority town of Kobane in Syria on Sunday after the Syrian government and Kurdish forces decided to extend a ceasefire agreement by 15 days.   

The UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA, said on X the 24 trucks carried "life-saving aid, including fuel, bread, and ready-to-eat rations, to support people affected by recent developments."

The UN also said the convoy was coordinated with the Syrian government.

Later on Sunday, the Syrian army announced the opening of two humanitarian corridors to Kobane and the province of al-Hassakeh in Syria's northeast, a self-governed Kurdish area.

What do we know about the situation in Kobane?

Kobane is surrounded by the Turkish border to the north and forces connected to the Syrian government on all other sides.

The town is filled with people displaced by recent clashes between government-linked forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Kurdish forces accused the Syrian army of imposing a siege on the town, with activists warning of a humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food, water and power.

The government did not comment on the accusation.

The situation there is "catastrophic," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said the city has been under siege by forces affiliated with the Damascus government for more than a week.

"This has led to an almost complete halt to the delivery of food and basic needs to the city," added the UK-based war monitor, which relies on a network of reporters inside Syria.

Tensions between Damascus and Kurdish forces

Clashes between Syrian government troops and Kurdish fighters began earlier this year as Damascus pushed ahead to retake large swathes of territory that had been under SDF control for years.

The violence comes amid an uneasy transition following the downfall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Since then, there have been flare-ups of violence in several parts of the country and between different ethnic groups.

The government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to unite the country under a central government after over a decade and a half of division and civil conflict.

The interim administration and the SDF have agreed to integrate Kurdish institutions and their fighters into the state institutions, but have yet to implement it. 

Ethnic tensions also persist amid Kurds' fears that their rights might not be respected by the new leaders.

Relocating prisoners

Due to the fighting, there were concerns about control of the prisons in northeastern Syria.

The US has started transferring dozens of Islamic State prisoners to Iraq, with plans to relocate up to 7,000 of them.

The extension of the ceasefire is intended to facilitate the transfer of Islamic State detainees from SDF prisons to neighboring Iraq, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic