Quick summary: Under a recently announced deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led SDF, small Interior Ministry security teams have entered al-Hasakeh to secure state services while regular military forces refrain from entering Kurdish-majority areas. The agreement seeks to stabilize a cease-fire and begin integrating some SDF units and civilian institutions into central government structures. Separately, Iraqi courts have opened investigations into 1,387 suspected Islamic State members transferred from Syrian prisons as part of a broader plan to move about 7,000 accused militants to Iraq for trial.
Damascus and Kurdish-Led SDF Reach Deal — Interior Ministry Teams Deploy to Al-Hasakeh to Restore State Services
Syrian security forces gather before entering the town of al-Hassakeh to implement an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to stabilize a ceasefire, in Wadi al-Raml, al-Hassakeh province, eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Al-Hasakeh, Syria — A small detachment of security personnel from Syria's Interior Ministry entered the city of al-Hasakeh on Monday under a newly negotiated arrangement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which continue to control much of the city.
Agreement Details
The SDF announced the deal on Friday, describing it as a move to consolidate a cease-fire that ended weeks of heavy fighting. The agreement lays out steps to begin integrating some SDF units into the Syrian army and police ranks and to place civilian institutions in SDF-held areas under the supervision of the central government.
Syrian security forces gather before entering the town of al-Hassakeh to implement an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to stabilize a ceasefire, in Wadi al-Raml, al-Hassakeh province, eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Under the terms, regular Syrian military units will not deploy into Kurdish-majority neighborhoods. Instead, small contingents of Interior Ministry security forces will enter the cities of al-Hasakeh and Qamishli to secure state-affiliated facilities — including the civil registry, passport offices and the airport — and to restart operations at those institutions.
Iraq Opens Investigations Into Transferred Suspects
Also on Monday, Iraq’s First Investigative Court in Baghdad’s Karkh district said it has opened investigative procedures for 1,387 accused members of the Islamic State who were recently transferred by the U.S. military from prisons in Syria to Iraq. The court said specialized counterterrorism judges are conducting the inquiries under the direct supervision of the president of the Supreme Judicial Council.
A man rides his motorcycle past the wall of a U.S. military base bearing graffiti in Arabic that reads, "Syria is more beautiful, no Assad, no SDF," and in yellow, "Al-Shaddadi without SDF terrorism," near the village of Al-Shaddadi, al-Hassakeh province, eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Authorities say roughly 7,000 accused IS militants are scheduled to be transferred from Syria to Iraq for trial. During last month’s clashes between the SDF and government forces, some suspected IS detainees escaped from a prison; officials say most of those who fled were later recaptured.
Why It Matters
The agreement aims to reduce the risk of renewed fighting by clarifying security roles and restoring essential state services in contested areas. How effectively the arrangement is implemented will be a key test of whether tensions between Damascus and the SDF can be managed without further violence.
Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad.
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