In the space of two days, the Syrian military, aided by tribal militia, has driven Kurdish forces from wide swathes of northern Syria that they have held for more than a decade.

The Syrian army continued its push into Kurdish-held territory on Saturday, despite U.S. calls to halt its advance in towns in the area in Syria's north.

The capture follows tensions between Damascus and the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, flared earlier this month, leading to deadly clashes and the government taking control of three Aleppo neighbourhoods from Kurdish fighters.

Government troops drew closer to Raqqa, the largest city overseen by the Kurds, raising U.S. concerns about the renewal of a wider conflict in the region.

Turkey's intelligence agency, MIT, warned Iran's Revolutionary Guard about Kurdish fighters trying to cross the Iran-Iraq border during ongoing government crackdowns.