The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed to extend a four-day ceasefire by 15 days, effective at 11 p.m. local time, creating a temporary lull after rapid government advances in the northeast. The pause is intended in part to support a U.S. operation transferring Islamic State detainees to Iraq and was brokered through international mediation. U.S. and French officials have warned President Ahmed al-Sharaa against further advances into Kurdish-held areas amid fears of mass abuses, while the SDF has strengthened defenses in key cities as talks continue.
Syria Extends Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces by 15 Days as Diplomatic Pause Holds
Members of the Syrian security forces stand guard outside al-Aqtan prison, where some Islamic State detainees are held, in Raqqa, Syria January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A four-day ceasefire between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that was due to expire on Saturday night has been extended by 15 days, officials on both sides said, providing a temporary easing of tensions in the northeast.
Ceasefire, Timeline and Purpose
Government troops seized large areas of northern and eastern Syria over the past two weeks from the SDF, consolidating the position of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Sharaa's forces were closing on remaining SDF strongholds when he announced a ceasefire that gave Kurdish forces until Saturday night to disarm and present a plan to integrate with the Syrian army—or face renewed fighting.
About an hour before midnight, Syria's defence ministry said its forces would halt offensive operations for a further 15 days to support an ongoing U.S. operation to transfer Islamic State detainees from Syria into Iraq. The ministry said the new pause took effect at 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT).
Diplomacy, Mediation and International Concerns
The SDF said the agreement was reached through international mediation and that dialogue with Damascus will continue. U.S. and French officials have been engaged in shuttle diplomacy and have urged President Sharaa not to press into remaining Kurdish-held areas, warning that renewed fighting could produce mass abuses against civilians.
U.S. Role: Washington has sought a longer-lasting ceasefire and a path for integrating the SDF—long a U.S. partner—into the Syrian state aligned with Sharaa.
On the Ground
As the deadline approached, the SDF reinforced defensive positions in Qamishli, Hasakeh and Kobane. Syrian forces this month captured two predominantly Arab provinces formerly held by the SDF, seizing important oil fields, hydroelectric dams and some facilities that housed Islamic State fighters and affiliated civilians.
Diplomatic sources told Reuters that government-affiliated forces carried out sectarian attacks last year that resulted in heavy casualties, and international officials remain concerned about the humanitarian consequences of any renewed offensive.
Why This Matters
The truce buys time for international mediation and for a U.S.-led operation to move detainees across the border to Iraq, while leaving unresolved the deeper political dispute: Sharaa's pledge to bring all Syrian territory under central control versus Kurdish resistance to integration after a decade of autonomous governance.
(Reporting by Orhan Qereman in Qamishli, Khalil Ashawi and Mahmoud Hasano in Deir al-Zor; additional reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut, Ece Toksabay in Ankara and Menna Alaa El-Din in Cairo; Writing by Maya Gebeily, Jonathan Spicer and Hatem Maher; Editing by William Mallard, Sharon Singleton, Daren Butler and Diane Craft.)
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