Syria announces ceasefire deal with Kurdish-led SDF after troop advances in contested regions

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Sunday that Damascus had reached an understanding with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), that includes halting hostilities following recent advances by government troops into Kurdish-controlled parts of northern and eastern Syria.

Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace in Damascus after meeting US envoy Tom Barrack, Sharaa said the two sides had agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire. He explained that a face-to-face meeting with Abdi was delayed until Monday because of adverse weather conditions, but added that an agreement was concluded in the meantime “to calm the situation.”

The presidency released the full text of the 14-point accord, which outlines plans to fold the SDF and Kurdish security units into Syria’s defence and interior ministries. It also provides for the swift transfer of administration in the SDF-run provinces of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa to the central government, and assigns Damascus responsibility for Islamic State prisoners and their families currently held in Kurdish-run detention facilities and camps.

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Following the announcement, Syria’s Defence Ministry said it had instructed forces along the front lines to cease combat operations. The SDF has not publicly confirmed the deal and did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.

Since overthrowing former president Bashar Assad in December 2024, Syria’s new leadership has faced difficulties consolidating control over a country battered by years of conflict. Although a framework agreement aimed at merging the SDF with the central government was reached in March, it failed to move forward, with each side accusing the other of breaches.

In recent days, government forces have largely taken control of Deir el-Zour and Raqqa, two strategically vital provinces previously under SDF authority that host key oil and gas infrastructure, Euphrates River dams and major border crossings.

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State news agency SANA broadcast images of President Ahmad al-Sharaa signing and presenting the agreement. Abdi was not shown at the signing ceremony, though his signature appeared on the document. Sharaa told journalists that the SDF leader was unable to travel because of weather conditions and is expected to come to Damascus on Monday, after the agreement was finalised by phone.

“It’s a victory for all Syrians of all backgrounds,” al-Sharaa told journalists in Damascus after signing the agreement. “Hopefully Syria will end its state of division and moves to a state of unity and progress.” The two warring sides are key allies of Washington. US Envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa earlier Sunday as government forces were sweeping into the city of Raqqa and across Deir el-Zour province. Abdi reportedly joined the meeting over the phone.

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

“This agreement and ceasefire represent a pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” said Barrack in a post on X.

The agreement includes dismantling the SDF and having its forces join Syria’s military and security forces, while senior military and civilian officials would be given high-ranking positions in state institutions.

The SDF would have to give up the Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces to the Syrian military and government, as well as its border crossings and oil and gas fields.

Hassakah Province is only expected to give its civilian administration back to Damascus, while the Kurdish-led agencies that handled prisons and sprawling camps with thousands of detained Islamic State group fighters and families would be handed over to Damascus.

There is no clear timeline on when and how the different elements of the agreement will go into effect. Al-Sharaa told journalists that it will be gradually implemented, beginning with the cessation of hostilities.

It appeared that tensions following clashes in Aleppo earlier this month had calmed after Abdi announced that his troops will withdraw east of the Euphrates River, and al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree that would strengthen Kurdish rights in the country.

However, overnight the Syrian military seized Tabqa, continuing into Raqqa province. Syrian troops reached much of Raqqa city by the time the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour that largely do not support the SDF backed Damascus. SDF lost control of large swaths of its territory and infrastructure, including dams and oil and gas fields.

An Associated Press reporter in the area said that large military convoys swept into Raqqa city and were greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.

The SDF took Tabqa from IS in 2017 as part of its military campaign to take down the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, IS declared Raqqa its capital.

With inputs from agencies