The Syrian government and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached a ceasefire after nearly two weeks of fighting in Aleppo and eastern Syria.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the deal includes restoring state control in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasakah and integrating the SDF into Syria’s defense and interior ministries.
Al-Sharaa announced the agreement following talks with U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack in Damascus.
Reports indicate that the deal also includes Damascus taking responsibility for prisons and detention camps holding tens of thousands of foreign ISIS fighters and their families. The deal also prohibits the integration of former Assad regime personnel into the SDF, requiring the group to provide lists of ex-regime officers active in northeastern Syria.
Violence between the Syrian government and the SDF broke out after efforts to integrate the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration and military into the country’s new government stalled.
The ceasefire agreement comes after Syrian government forces reported advances across most of Deir al-Zor province, the country’s key oil- and wheat-producing region along the Euphrates. Late Saturday, the army also captured the northern city of Tabqa in Raqqa province, including the Freedom Dam, formerly known as the Baath Dam, west of Raqqa.
Historic scenes from al-Raqqa in Syria as the city has fallen out of SDF hands this morning.
Following several days of clashes in eastern Aleppo and a organized withdrawal, the SDF suddenly started to collapse, with many Arab forces switching sides and STG forces advancing. pic.twitter.com/OIfqrJHjZ5
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) January 18, 2026
Barrack welcomed the ceasefire, writing on X that it marked a “pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division.”
The United States commends the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their constructive efforts in reaching today’s ceasefire agreement, paving the way for renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria.
Two great Syrian leaders, driven by the…
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) January 18, 2026
“President al-Sharaa has affirmed that the Kurds are an integral part of Syria, and the United States looks forward to the seamless integration of our historic partner in the fight against ISIS with the Global Coalition’s newest member, as we press forward in the enduring battle against terrorism,” he added.
