US envoy praises deal as 'pivotal inflection point'

Syria declares ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF after intense military push

Truce leaves much of Kurdish-majority northwest under Damascus control for first time in decade; Sharaa proclaims victory for ‘Syrians of all backgrounds’

RAQQA, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government on Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, after Damascus took almost full control of the country and dismantled the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the northeast for more than a decade.

The announcement came as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push by government forces toward the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense front line area in eastern Aleppo province.

Syria’s Defense Ministry said it ordered the fighting to halt on the front lines after the agreement was announced. The SDF did not immediately confirm the agreement, nor respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Syria’s new leaders, since toppling Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, have struggled to assert their full authority over the war-torn country. An agreement was reached in March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it did not gain traction, as both sides accused each other of violating the deal.

Since the push, the government has largely asserted control of the Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces, critical areas under the SDF that include oil and gas fields, river dams along the Euphrates, and border crossings.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA showed President Ahmed al-Sharaa signing and holding up the agreement. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, who was scheduled to meet with the president in Damascus, was not seen, though his signature appeared on the document. Al-Sharaa told journalists that Abdi could not travel due to bad weather and will visit Damascus on Monday after reaching the agreement over the phone.

“It’s a victory for all Syrians of all backgrounds,” Sharaa told journalists in Damascus after signing the agreement. “Hopefully, Syria will end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress.”

The two warring sides are key allies of Washington. US Envoy Tom Barrack met with Sharaa earlier Sunday as government forces were sweeping into the city of Raqqa and across Deir Ezzor province. Abdi reportedly joined the meeting over the phone.

Barrack praised the agreement, saying Sunday that it will lead to “renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria,” ahead of working on the details of implementing the integration.

“This agreement and ceasefire represent a pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” said Barrack in a post on X.

The agreement includes dismantling the SDF and having its forces join Syria’s military and security forces, while senior military and civilian officials would be given high-ranking positions in state institutions.

The SDF would have to give up the Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces to the Syrian military and government, as well as its border crossings and oil and gas fields. Hassakah Province is only expected to give its civilian administration back to Damascus, while the Kurdish-led agencies that handled prisons and sprawling camps with thousands of detained Islamic State group fighters and families would be handed over to Damascus.

There is no clear timeline on when and how the different elements of the agreement will go into effect. Sharaa told journalists that it will be gradually implemented, beginning with the cessation of hostilities.

It appeared that tensions following clashes in Aleppo earlier this month had calmed after Abdi announced that his troops would withdraw east of the Euphrates River, and Sharaa issued a presidential decree that would strengthen Kurdish rights in the country.

However, overnight the Syrian military seized Tabqa, continuing into Raqqa province. Syrian troops reached much of Raqqa city by the time the announcement was made. Armed Arab clans in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor that largely do not support the SDF backed Damascus. By evening, the SDF lost control of large swaths of its territory and infrastructure, including dams and oil and gas fields.

An Associated Press reporter in the area said that large military convoys swept into Raqqa city and were greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.

The SDF took Tabqa from Islamic State in 2017 as part of its military campaign to take down the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, Islamic State declared Raqqa its capital.