DEIR HAFER, Syria — Syrian government forces entered two northern towns Saturday morning after the command of Kurdish-led fighters said it would evacuate the area in an apparent move to avoid conflict. Two soldiers were killed and others wounded in the latest clash, state media reported. The town of Deir Hafer changed hands after deadly fighting erupted earlier this month between government troops and the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. It ended with the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from three neighborhoods taken over by government forces. An Associated Press reporter Saturday saw government tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, including pickup trucks with heavy machine guns mounted on top, entering Deir Hafer after bulldozers removed barriers. There was no SDF presence on the edge of the town. The Syrian military said its forces were in full control of Deir Hafer, captured the Jarrah air base to the east, and were in the process of clearing mines and explosives. It added that troops would move toward the nearb
