Syria's interim govt, Kurdish-led forces announce truce

DAMASCUS — Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdishled Syrian Democratic Forces, that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country's north and east.

Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader conflict.

The decision was made after deadly clashes in the Syrian city of Raqqa on Sunday between Kurdish-led forces and local pro-Damascus fighters, and fighting this month between the Kurds and interim authority forces.

The agreement will also see the Kurdish administration and forces integrate into the state after months of stalled negotiations on the issue.

Al-Sharaa announced the agreement to reporters on Sunday.

He said he had been scheduled to meet Abdi, but that it had been postponed until Monday due to poor weather.

"In order to calm the situation, we decided to sign the agreement," the interim president of Syria said.

Abdi said in a statement broadcast by Kurdish television channel Ronahi that "in order for this war not to turn into civil war … we accepted withdrawing from the Deir al-Zour and Raqqa regions to Hasakah".

He said he would explain the deal's details to Syria's Kurds after returning from Damascus.

Implementation details — including timelines for withdrawals, security arrangements, and the restoration of civil administration — are expected to dominate the upcoming talks in Damascus, as the interim authority seeks to consolidate control and the SDF presses for guarantees related to local governance and rights.

Under the agreement, the interim authority will assume full administrative and military control over Raqqa and Deir al-Zour, including all civil institutions and public facilities. Existing employees will be retained, and Damascus pledged not to pursue SDF fighters or civil administration personnel. Civil institutions in Hasakah Province will also be integrated into state structures.

Damascus will take control of all border crossings and oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria, with its forces responsible for securing the facilities.

SDF personnel will be individually incorporated into Damascus' military and security forces following security vetting, receiving official ranks, salaries, and benefits. The agreement also safeguards the administrative and social autonomy of Kurdish-majority areas.

Prisons and camps holding Islamic State detainees and their families, along with the forces guarding them, will be merged into state institutions under the interim authority's control. Senior military, security, and civilian officials may be appointed from lists submitted by SDF leadership to ensure "national partnership" within central state institutions.

Government forces this weekend captured the strategic city of Tabqa in the Raqqa region as well as the Euphrates Dam. They also advanced into parts of Deir al-Zour Province, including the Al-Omar oilfield, the country's largest, having earlier made advances in Aleppo Province.

Agencies - Xinhua