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2h ago

Syria Seizes Raqqa and Oilfields Under SDF Ceasefire as Prison Clashes Test Deal

Fresh clashes at Islamic State detention sites cast doubt on the ceasefire’s immediate durability.

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Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) walk for a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, in the Qandil mountains, Iraq October 26, 2025. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
A military vehicle of the Syrian army is parked on the highway near Tabqa, after the Syrian army took control of it, Syria, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano
A drone view shows the Conoco gas plant after it came under the control of the Syrian government following the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the countryside of Deir al-Zor, Syria, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Overview

  • Damascus and the Kurdish-led SDF signed a 14-point accord transferring border crossings, oil and gas fields, and custody of prisons and camps to state control, with SDF personnel to integrate as individuals into security ministries.
  • Government forces deployed across Raqqa and Deir al-Zor, including the al-Omar oilfield and Conoco gas facility, after the SDF confirmed a withdrawal from those provinces.
  • Fighting erupted around the Shaddadi and al-Aqtan prisons holding Islamic State detainees, with the SDF reporting attacks and the army alleging detainee releases and denying assaults.
  • The SDF retains control of Hasakah, including Qamishli and major detention sites, and the agreement did not specify timelines for handovers of prisons and camps.
  • U.S. envoy Tom Barrack endorsed the deal after meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Turkey welcomed PKK-related provisions, and reporters observed a U.S. convoy near a Raqqa-area prison as tensions persisted.