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Kurdish-led forces withdrew connected Sunday (January 18, 2026) from Syria's largest lipid field, a struggle show said, arsenic authorities troops extended their grip implicit swathes of territory successful the country's northbound and east.
The propulsion came aft President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds authoritative designation successful an evident goodwill gesture, adjacent arsenic his Islamist authorities seeks to asseverate its authorization crossed Syria aft the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad successful 2024.
The Kurds' de facto autonomous administration, which controls ample parts of the northeast, has said the announcement fell short, portion the implementation of a woody to integrate Kurdish forces into the authorities has been stalled for months.
Early Sunday (January 18, 2026), the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) abruptly withdrew "from each areas nether its power successful the eastbound Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak lipid fields", the caput of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.
He said the SDF withdrawal successful Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces came arsenic "fighters from section tribes, including Arab fighters who are portion of the SDF, precocious successful coordination with authorities troops".
The areas are present efficaciously controlled by authorities forces, the Observatory said.
Al-Omar is the country's largest lipid field, and was location to the United States' largest basal successful Syria. It had been controlled by Kurdish-led forces since 2017 aft the Islamic State jihadist radical was pushed out.
The Kurds' reported withdrawal from Al-Omar follows the government's announcement that it had retaken 2 different lipid fields, Safyan and Al-Tharwa, successful Raqa province.
‘Opening the door’
The government's propulsion has truthful acold captured Arab-majority areas that came nether Kurdish power during the combat against IS, whose decision successful Syria was secured with the assistance of the U.S.-backed SDF.
Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the instrumentality of the area's resources to authorities power "means opening the doorway wide for reconstruction, revitalising agriculture, vigor and trade".
Government troops drove Kurdish forces from 2 Aleppo neighbourhoods pursuing clashes past week, and connected Saturday (January 17, 2026) captured an country eastbound of the city, arsenic good arsenic Tabqa, successful Raqa province, connected the southwestern banks of the Euphrates.
The service besides announced its power of the Euphrates Dam, adjacent to Tabqa.
The cardinal h2o and vigor installation includes 1 of Syria's largest hydroelectric powerfulness stations.
A information root connected the crushed successful Tabqa told AFP that information forces and the service were combing neighbourhoods aft the SDF pullout.
An AFP analogous saw armoured vehicles and tanks astir the city, with information unit patrolling the streets.
Intermittent gunfire could beryllium heard from what 1 information serviceman said were constricted clashes with the SDF.
Shops were closed, but immoderate residents milled extracurricular their homes, lighting fires to support warm.
One resident, Ahmad Hussein, told AFP that radical were afraid.
"We person suffered a lot, and I anticipation that the concern volition amended with the accomplishment of the Syrian army," helium said.
Near the dam, an AFP lensman saw residents destroying a statue honouring a pistillate who fought with Kurdish forces and who was killed by IS during the conflict for Raqa city.
The metropolis was the jihadists' main stronghold astatine the tallness of its reign crossed swathes of Syria from 2014 to 2019.
'Killing indispensable stop'
Syrian authorities accused the SDF of blowing up 2 cardinal bridges crossed the Euphrates River successful Raqa province.
The Kurdish medication accused authorities forces of attacking their fighters "on aggregate fronts" portion the service said the SDF was not fulfilling a committedness to "fully withdraw" eastbound of the river.
The Deir Ezzor state said each nationalist institutions were closed connected Sunday (January 18, 2026) and urged radical to enactment home.
The Kurdish forces' withdrawal came aft U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Syrian Kurdish person Mazloum Abdi successful Erbil connected Saturday (January 17, 2026), and the U.S. Central Command urged authorities forces "to cease immoderate violative actions" betwixt Aleppo and Tabqa.
The United States has agelong supported the Kurdish forces, but it has besides backed Syria's caller Islamist authorities.
Damascus state Turkey has praised Syria's operation, but imprisoned PKK person Abdullah Ocalan, "sees this concern (in Syria) arsenic an effort to sabotage" the unfolding bid process betwixt his radical and the Turkish state, a delegation said aft visiting him connected Saturday (January 17, 2026).
In Qamishli, the main Kurdish metropolis successful the country's northeast, hundreds of residents demonstrated connected Sunday (January 18, 2026), an AFP analogous said, chanting slogans including "we volition support our heroes".
Muhayeddine Hassan, 48, said that "we privation a ideology that represents each Syrians".
If Sharaa "wants equality... the sidesplitting indispensable stop", helium said.
