The Syrian government announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday, taking almost full control of the country and disbanding the Kurdish-led forces that had dominated the northeast for more than a decade.
The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually leading to a major push eastward by government forces. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes in the tense frontline area of eastern Aleppo province.
Syria’s defense ministry said it had ordered a halt to fighting on the frontline 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 have been trying to assert their full authority over the war-torn country since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. An agreement was reached in March to merge the SDF with Damascus, but it failed to gain traction as both sides accused each other of violating the agreement.
Since the crackdown, the government has largely asserted control over Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, critical areas under the SDF that include oil and gas fields, river dams along the Euphrates and border crossings.
Syrian state news agency SANA showed that President Ahmad al-Sharaa had signed and is holding the agreement. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, who was due to meet the president in Damascus, was not seen, although his signature appeared on the document. Al-Sharaa told reporters that Abdi could not travel due to bad weather and would visit Damascus on Monday after a telephone agreement.
“It’s a victory for all Syrians regardless of origin,” al-Sharaa told reporters in Damascus after the deal was signed. “I hope that Syria will end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress.”
The two warring parties are key allies of Washington. US envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa earlier on Sunday as government forces moved into Raqqa city and across Deir el-Zour province. Abdi reportedly joined the meeting by phone.
Barrack praised the deal, saying it would lead to “renewed dialogue and cooperation towards a united Syria” before working on the details of implementing integration.
“This agreement and cease-fire represent a pivotal inflection point where former adversaries choose partnership over division,” Barrack said in a post on X.
The deal includes dismantling the SDF and merging its forces with the Syrian military and security forces, with senior military and civilian officials given high positions in state institutions. The SDF would have to surrender Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces to the Syrian army and government, as well as its border crossings and oil and gas fields. Hassakah province is only expected to return its civilian administration to Damascus, while Kurdish-led agencies that have been overseeing prisons and sprawling camps holding thousands of detained Islamic State fighters and families will be handed over to Damascus.
There is no clear timetable for when and how individual elements of the agreement will enter into force. Al-Sharaa told reporters that it would be phased in, starting with the cessation of hostilities.
Tensions after clashes in Aleppo earlier this month appeared to ease after Abdi announced his troops would withdraw east of the Euphrates River and al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree that will strengthen Kurdish rights in the country.
Overnight, however, the Syrian army seized Tabqa and advanced into Raqqa province. Syrian troops had reached a large part of Raqqa city by the time the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour, largely unsupported by the SDF-backed Damascus. By evening, the SDF had lost control of large swathes of its territory and infrastructure, including dams and oil and gas fields.
An Associated Press reporter in the area said large military convoys had arrived in the city of Raqqa and were being welcomed by residents. The SDF appeared to have withdrawn.
The SDF took Tabqa from IS in 2017 as part of its military campaign to topple the so-called Islamic State caliphate, which at its peak spanned much of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, IS claimed Raqqa as its capital.