Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led SDF : NPR

Residents toppled a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after Syrian government forces from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the town in Tabqa, eastern Syria, on Sunday.

Ghaith Alsayed/AP

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Ghaith Alsayed/AP

RAQQA, Syria — The Syrian government announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday, taking almost complete control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that had controlled the northeast for more than a decade.

The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF escalated earlier this month, ultimately leading to a major push by government forces eastward. The FDS appear to have largely retreated after the first clashes in a tense front zone in eastern Aleppo province.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said it ordered a halt to fighting on the front lines after the deal was announced. The SDF did not confirm the deal or immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Syria’s new leaders, since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, have struggled to assert full authority over the war-torn country. An agreement was reached in March that included merging the SDF with Damascus, but it was unsuccessful as both sides accused each other of violating the agreement.

Since that surge, the government has largely asserted control over Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, critical areas under SDF control that include oil and gas fields, river dams along the Euphrates River, and border crossings.

Syria’s official SANA news agency showed President Ahmad al-Sharaa signing and holding the agreement. FDS leader Mazloum Abdi, who was due to meet the president in Damascus, was not seen, although his signature appears on the document. Al-Sharaa told reporters that Abdi could not travel due to bad weather and would travel to Damascus on Monday after reaching a deal over the phone.

“This is a victory for all Syrians of all origins,” al-Sharaa told reporters in Damascus after signing the deal. “Let us hope that Syria will end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress.”

Both warring camps are key allies of Washington. US envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa earlier Sunday as government forces invaded Raqqa city and Deir el-Zour province. Abdi reportedly joined the meeting by telephone.

Barrack welcomed the agreement, saying it will lead to “renewed dialogue and cooperation towards a unified Syria”, before working on the details of implementing the integration.

“This agreement and ceasefire represent a crucial inflection point, where former adversaries prioritize partnership over division,” Barrack said in an article on X.

The agreement provides for the dismantling of the SDF and the consolidation of its forces into the Syrian military and security forces, while senior military and civilian officials would be given high-ranking positions in state institutions. The SDF is expected to cede the provinces of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour to the Syrian army and government, along with their border posts and oil and gas fields. Hassakah province is expected to return its civilian administration only to Damascus, while Kurdish-led agencies that ran the sprawling prisons and camps housing thousands of detained Islamic State group fighters and families would be transferred to Damascus.

There is no clear timetable for when and how different elements of the agreement will come into force. Al-Sharaa told reporters that this measure would be implemented gradually, starting with the cessation of hostilities.

Tensions following clashes in Aleppo earlier this month appeared to have calmed after Abdi announced his troops would withdraw east of the Euphrates and al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree that would strengthen Kurdish rights in the country.

However, overnight the Syrian army captured Tabqa and continued into Raqqa province. Syrian troops had reached much of the city of Raqqa by the time the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour who largely do not support SDF-backed Damascus. By the evening, the SDF lost control of large swathes of their territory and infrastructure, including dams and oil and gas fields.

An Associated Press journalist in the area said large military convoys had invaded the city of Raqqa and were welcomed by residents. It appears that the FDS have withdrawn.

The SDF captured Tabqa from ISIS in 2017 as part of its military campaign to overthrow the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak spanned large parts of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, ISIS declared Raqqa its capital.