Residents topple a statue of a feminine Kurdish fighter after the takeover of the city by Syrian authorities forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, japanese Syria, on Sunday.
Ghaith Alsayed/AP
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Ghaith Alsayed/AP
RAQQA, Syria — The Syrian authorities Sunday introduced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, taking nearly full management of the nation and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that managed the northeast for over a decade.
The announcement comes as tensions between authorities forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, ultimately leading to a significant push by authorities forces towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after preliminary clashes on a tense entrance line space in japanese Aleppo province.
Syria’s Protection Ministry stated it ordered the preventing to halt on the entrance strains after the settlement was introduced. The SDF didn’t affirm the settlement, nor instantly reply to a request for remark from The Related Press.
Syria’s new leaders, since toppling Bashar Assad in December 2024, have struggled to claim their full authority over the war-torn nation. An settlement was reached in March that will merge the SDF with Damascus, but it surely did not achieve traction as each side accused one another of violating the deal.
Because the push, the federal government has largely asserted management of the Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, important areas beneath the SDF that embrace oil and fuel fields, river dams alongside the Euphrates, and border crossings.
Syria’s state-run information company SANA confirmed President Ahmad al-Sharaa signing and holding the settlement. SDF chief Mazloum Abdi, who was scheduled to satisfy with the president in Damascus, was not seen, although his signature appeared on the doc. Al-Sharaa informed journalists that Abdi couldn’t journey resulting from dangerous climate and can go to Damascus on Monday after reaching the settlement over the telephone.
“It is a victory for all Syrians of all backgrounds,” al-Sharaa informed journalists in Damascus after signing the settlement. “Hopefully Syria will finish its state of division and strikes to a state of unity and progress.”
The 2 warring sides are key allies of Washington. U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa earlier Sunday as authorities forces had been sweeping into the town of Raqqa and throughout Deir el-Zour province. Abdi reportedly joined the assembly over the telephone.
Barrack praised the settlement, saying it’ll result in “renewed dialogue and cooperation towards a unified Syria,” forward of engaged on the small print of implementing the mixing.
“This settlement and ceasefire signify a pivotal inflection level, the place former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” stated Barrack in a put up on X.
The settlement contains dismantling the SDF and having its forces be a part of Syria’s navy and safety forces, whereas senior navy and civilian officers could be given high-ranking positions in state establishments. The SDF must surrender the Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces to the Syrian navy and authorities, in addition to its border crossings and oil and fuel fields. Hassakah Province is barely anticipated to provide its civilian administration again to Damascus, whereas the Kurdish-led businesses that dealt with prisons and sprawling camps with 1000’s of detained Islamic State group fighters and households could be handed over to Damascus.
There isn’t any clear timeline on when and the way the completely different components of the settlement will go into impact. Al-Sharaa informed journalists that it will likely be progressively carried out, starting with the cessation of hostilities.
It appeared that tensions following clashes in Aleppo earlier this month had calmed after Abdi introduced that his troops will withdraw east of the Euphrates River, and al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree that will strengthen Kurdish rights within the nation.
Nonetheless, in a single day the Syrian navy seized Tabqa, persevering with into Raqqa province. Syrian troops reached a lot of Raqqa metropolis by the point the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour that largely don’t assist the SDF backed Damascus. By night, the SDF misplaced management of enormous swaths of its territory and infrastructure, together with dams and oil and fuel fields.
An Related Press reporter within the space stated that enormous navy convoys swept into Raqqa metropolis and had been greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.
The SDF took Tabqa from IS in 2017 as a part of its navy marketing campaign to take down the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak stretched throughout massive components of Syria and Iraq. On the peak of its management, IS declared Raqqa its capital.
