The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led SDF announced a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased plan to integrate military and administrative bodies into the Syrian state. Front-line units in northern Syria will withdraw and Interior Ministry forces will be deployed to Hasakah and Qamishli, with local security forces merged. The deal creates a new military division including three SDF brigades and a separate Kobani brigade to be affiliated with Aleppo governorate. Officials say the agreement was finalised and implementation will begin immediately.
Syria and Kurdish-Led SDF Announce Ceasefire and Phased Integration Deal
FILE PHOTO: Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) queue to settle their status with Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/ File Photo
DAMASCUS — The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Friday a broad agreement establishing a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased integration of military and administrative structures into the Syrian state.
Under the deal, units that had concentrated along front lines in the country's north will withdraw, while Interior Ministry security personnel are to be deployed to the centres of the northeastern cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, both currently under SDF control. The arrangement also foresees the merger of local security forces into unified structures overseen by state authorities.
Key Military Provisions
The pact provides for the formation of a new military division that will incorporate three brigades formerly belonging to the SDF. It also calls for a separate brigade for forces based in Kobani (Ain al-Arab), which will be placed under the authority of Aleppo governorate.
"The agreement aims to unify Syrian territory and achieve full integration in the region by strengthening cooperation between the concerned parties and unifying efforts to rebuild the country," the SDF said when announcing the deal.
The announcement followed recent government advances: Syrian forces operating under President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured swathes of northern and eastern territory from the SDF this month, pushing Kurdish units into a contracting enclave. A senior Syrian government official told Reuters the accord was finalised late on Thursday night and that steps to implement it would begin immediately.
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