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The Syrian authorities connected Sunday (January 18, 2026) announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, taking astir afloat power of the state and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the northeast for implicit a decade.
The announcement comes arsenic tensions betwixt authorities forces and the SDF boiled implicit earlier this month, yet resulting successful a large propulsion by authorities forces toward the east.
The SDF appeared to person mostly retreated aft archetypal clashes connected a tense beforehand enactment country successful eastbound Aleppo province.
Syria's Defence Ministry said it ordered the warring to halt connected the beforehand lines aft the statement was announced. The SDF did not corroborate the agreement, nor instantly respond to a petition for remark from The Associated Press.
Syria's caller leaders, since toppling Bashar Assad successful December 2024, person struggled to asseverate their afloat authorization implicit the war-torn country. An statement was reached successful March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it didn't summation traction arsenic some sides accused each different of violating the deal.
Since the push, the authorities has mostly asserted power of the Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, captious areas nether the SDF that see lipid and state fields, stream dams on the Euphrates, and borderline crossings.
Syria's state-run quality bureau SANA showed President Ahmad al-Sharaa signing and holding the agreement. SDF person Mazloum Abdi, who was scheduled to conscionable with the President successful Damascus was not seen, though his signature appeared connected the document. Al-Sharaa told journalists that Mr. Abdi could not question owed to atrocious upwind and volition sojourn Damascus connected Monday (January 19) aft reaching the statement implicit the phone.
“It's a triumph for each Syrians of each backgrounds,” Mr. al-Sharaa told journalists successful Damascus aft signing the agreement. “Hopefully Syria volition extremity its authorities of part and moves to a authorities of unity and progress.”
The 2 warring sides are cardinal allies of Washington. U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack met with Mr. al-Sharaa earlier connected Sunday (January 18) arsenic authorities forces were sweeping into the metropolis of Raqqa and crossed Deir el-Zour province. Mr. Abdi reportedly joined the gathering implicit the phone.
Mr. Barrack praised the agreement, saying it volition pb to “renewed dialog and practice toward a unified Syria,” up of moving connected the details of implementing the integration.
“This statement and ceasefire correspond a pivotal inflection point, wherever erstwhile adversaries clasp concern implicit division,” said Mr. Barrack successful a station connected X.
The statement includes dismantling the SDF and having its forces articulation Syria's subject and information forces, portion elder subject and civilian officials would beryllium fixed high-ranking positions successful authorities institutions.
The SDF would person to springiness up the Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces to the Syrian subject and government, arsenic good arsenic its borderline crossings and lipid and state fields.
Hassakah Province is lone expected to springiness its civilian medication backmost to Damascus, portion the Kurdish-led agencies that handled prisons and sprawling camps with thousands of detained Islamic State radical fighters and families would beryllium handed implicit to Damascus.
There is nary wide timeline connected erstwhile and however the antithetic elements of the statement volition spell into effect. Mr. Al-Sharaa told journalists that it volition beryllium gradually implemented, opening with the cessation of hostilities.
It appeared that tensions pursuing clashes successful Aleppo earlier this period had calmed aft Mr. Abdi announced that his troops volition retreat eastbound of the Euphrates River, and Mr. al-Sharaa issued a statesmanlike decree that would fortify Kurdish rights successful the country.
However, overnight the Syrian subject seized Tabqa, continuing into Raqqa province. Syrian troops reached overmuch of Raqqa metropolis by the clip the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans successful Raqqa and Deir el-Zour that mostly bash not enactment the SDF backed Damascus. By evening, the SDF mislaid power of ample swaths of its territory and infrastructure, including dams and lipid and state fields.
An Associated Press reporter successful the country said that ample subject convoys swept into Raqqa metropolis and were greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.
The SDF took Tabqa from IS successful 2017 arsenic portion of its subject run to instrumentality down the Islamic State group's alleged caliphate, which astatine its highest stretched crossed ample parts of Syria and Iraq. At the tallness of its control, IS declared Raqqa its capital.
