Syria tightens its grip after Kurdish withdrawal, IS jail attack reported

On Monday, Syrian government forces tightened their grip across a large swath of territory in the north and east that had been abruptly abandoned by Kurdish troops on Sunday. This was a dramatic change which solidified President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rule.

Days of Fighting

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, once the main U.S. ally in Syria, have agreed to a 'withdrawal from two Arab majority provinces that they controlled for many years.

Oil fields

On Monday, there were reports of fighting despite the agreement. The SDF claimed that armed groups attacked a jail in which it held thousands of Islamic State fighters, but did not name them. It also said it was fighting against government forces near another jail, where it held IS militants, near Raqqa.

The Syrian army claimed that Kurdish forces were trying to undermine the deal and reported that three of their troops had been killed in attacks.

The SDF's withdrawals are the largest change to the control map of Syria since Islamist fighters under Sharaa overthrew President Bashar al-Assad 2024. This shifts the balance of power in Sharaa’s favor after months in deadlock with the SDF about government demands that its forces fully merge with Damascus.

GOVERNMENT STAFF DEPLOYS AT OILFIELD IN RAQQA

Neighbour Turkey

The SDF and its commander Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement that was welcomed by the ally Sharaa. They expressed their hope for stability and security.

Journalists saw government forces 'deployed' in Raqqa, which the SDF captured from Islamic State last year. They also spotted them at oil and gas installations in Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria, both of which the Kurdish force had controlled for many years. The SDF, led by the Kurdish YPG militia and fighting alongside U.S. troops, controlled a quarter of Syria or more during the civil war between 2011-2024. The United States has played a major role in mediating between the two sides.

In Raqqa the government's internal security forces, military police and other law enforcement agencies set up checkpoints to verify IDs.

Sources in Raqqa said that SDF fighters had been cleared from the city overnight. However, some snipers held out until Sunday night.

A reporter in Deir al-Zor saw state security forces both at the al-Omar gas field and the largest oilfield in Syria, the al-Omar. Al-Omar has long been the SDF's primary base in the region. Two guards stood at the gate of Conoco Field. A large Syrian military consignment was moving to al-Omar. The SDF was not visible.

SDF Retains Control of SYRIA’s Northeast Corner

The SDF still controls the province of Hasakah in the northeast, including the Kurdish majority city of Qamishli. It also controls the main prisons that house Islamic State detainees and a camp with thousands of IS-linked captives.

The SDF Media Centre issued a statement in which it said that SDF forces had been engaged in heavy battles with armed group who attacked the prison at Shaddadi, Hasakah Province, but did not identify the attackers.

In a separate incident the SDF claimed that its forces clashed with government fighters in a nearby prison housing detainees of Islamic State near Raqqa.

In the deal, the SDF agreed to hand over all prisons, border crossings, oil and gas fields as well as the control of the SDF. The exact timing of the transfer of prisons and camps has not been announced.

Abdi confirmed to reporters on Sunday that SDF has agreed to withdraw its forces from the provinces of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, which both have Arab majority. The 14-point agreement published by Syria’s presidency included his signature along with Sharaa.

Kurdish media reported that Abdi would be meeting Sharaa on Monday in Damascus and would then share details of the deal with the public upon his return to SDF territory.

Abdi stated that his group was committed to protecting "achievements of the Kurdish Region in the North East".

According to the agreement, all SDF units will be integrated into the central ministries of defence and interior as "individuals", and not as entire units as the SDF wanted.

In the agreement, the SDF commits to expelling all non-Syrians affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party. The PKK is a Kurdish militant organization that fought an insurgency for decades in Turkey.

Senior figures in the ruling AK Party of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoan said that this was a significant step forward for Turkey's peace with PKK militants. (Additional reporting from Maya Gebeily, Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Jana Choukeir, and Ahmed Elimam, in Dubai; Daren Butler, in Istanbul; Ece Toksabay, in Ankara. Writing by Tom Perry. Editing by Peter Graff, and Andrew Heavens.)

(source: Reuters)