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Agreement will see government takeover of SDF controlled areas, and SDF integration into Syrian military.
Published On 18 Jan 2026
The Syrian government has announced a ceasefire has been agreed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that will involve the withdrawal of the latter’s forces from areas west of the Euphrates River, according to Syrian state media.
Sunday’s deal will also see SDF forces integrate into the Syrian military.
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The agreement comes after days of fighting between the Syrian government and the SDF in northeastern Syria.
Speaking in Damascus, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that the agreement will see Syrian state institutions move into three eastern and northern governorates – al-Hasakah, Deir Az Zor, and Raqqa – previously controlled by the SDF.
“We advise our Arab tribes to remain calm and allow for the implementation of the agremeent’s terms,” al-Sharaa said.
Al-Sharaa made the announcement after he met US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack in Damascus. SDF chief Mazloum Abdi was supposed to be at the meeting, but al-Sharaa said that weather conditions meant that his trip would be postponed until Monday.
Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna, reporting from the Syrian capital, said that the agreement “can be seen as a victory” for the Syrian government.
Syrian state media says that the agreement will see the military handover of the SDF-controlled governorates, and the takeover of civilian institutions.
The Syrian government will also take over “all border crossings and oil and gas fields”.
A previous agreement in March that included the integration of SDF forces into the Syrian military was not implemented, and fighting has periodically broken out between the two sides in recent months, increasing in ferocity this month.
