The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that they had reached a comprehensive agreement with the Syrian government on a ceasefire and the gradual integration of military and administrative bodies into state structures. The Syrian government confirmed the deal on the same day. The announcement followed recent clashes during which government forces seized most of the territory that the SDF had controlled in northeastern Syria for more than ten years.

Under the agreement, the Syrian Democratic Forces will withdraw from the frontlines, and security forces under the Syrian Ministry of Interior will enter the cities of Al-Hasakah and Al-Qamishli. The process of integrating Kurdish and government forces is then expected to begin. This is anticipated to include the formation of a new military unit composed of three SDF brigades in the northeast region, as well as an additional SDF brigade that will join government forces in Aleppo province.

The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrett, described the agreement between the Syrian authorities and the Kurds as a “fundamental and historic milestone on Syria’s path toward national reconciliation, unity, and sustainable stability.”