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Damascus and Kurdish SDF Sign Cease-Fire, Starting Reintegration of Northeast

The agreement takes effect immediately under a plan brokered with U.S. mediation.

Overview

  • The deal was signed in Damascus by President Ahmed al Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, with U.S. mediator Thomas Barrack calling it a turning point.
  • Damascus says it will assume authority over Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, along with border crossings and key oil and gas fields long held by Kurdish-led authorities.
  • The accord dissolves the SDF as an autonomous force, with fighters to enter Syrian state institutions individually after a verification process.
  • The central government will take charge of prisons and camps holding roughly 20,000 suspected ISIS detainees and associated families previously managed by Kurdish forces.
  • Officials pledge cultural and linguistic recognition for Kurds, including Kurdish language instruction and Nowruz as a national holiday, while key implementation details—such as integration of women fighters and detainee management—remain unsettled.