IRIA News

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The Syrian government formally signed an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on January 18, 2026, setting out a comprehensive framework for a nationwide ceasefire, territorial handover, and the full integration of SDF-controlled areas and personnel into the Syrian state.

The agreement follows nearly two weeks of heavy fighting in northeastern Syria and marks one of the most significant political and military shifts since the defeat of the Islamic State’s territorial control.

Syrian state media said the deal effectively places Damascus on course to reassert authority over almost all of the country.

Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa called on Arab tribes in eastern Syria to remain calm and allow the implementation of the agreement, describing tribal stability as essential for a smooth transition.

Speaking in Damascus, Ahmed Al Sharaa said, “We advise our Arab tribes to remain calm and allow for the implementation of the agreement’s terms.”

Syria’s government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached a ceasefire agreement. pic.twitter.com/Hx2Ww6YR4W

— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) January 18, 2026

A planned meeting between Al Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, with Syrian officials saying it would be rescheduled.

Immediate Ceasefire and Territorial Withdrawal

Under the agreement, an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire will take effect across all fronts and contact lines between Syrian government forces and the SDF. As an initial step, all SDF military formations will withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River in preparation for redeployment and integration.

The deal provides for the full and immediate administrative and military handover of Deir Ez Zor and Raqqa governorates to the Syrian government.

This includes the transfer of all civilian institutions and public facilities, alongside the issuance of decrees to permanently absorb current employees into the relevant Syrian state ministries.

Civilian institutions in Al Hasakah governorate will also be fully integrated into the Syrian state’s administrative and governance structures, ending more than a decade of de facto autonomous administration in the region.

Control of borders and energy resources

The agreement grants the Syrian government full control over all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in northeastern Syria, assets that previously formed the economic backbone of SDF self-rule.

Protection of these sites will be assigned to regular Syrian forces to ensure the return of strategic resources to the state, while taking into account what the agreement described as the “special case” of Kurdish areas.

The transfer follows rapid battlefield developments over the weekend. According to state media, Syrian army units moved into Tabqa and secured its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom Dam west of Raqqa.

Government forces also took control of the Omar oilfield, Syria’s largest, and the Conoco gas field in Deir Ez Zor, delivering a major economic setback to the SDF.

President al-Sharaa said last week it was unacceptable for a militia to control roughly a quarter of the country while holding its main oil and commodity resources.

Integration of SDF Personnel

A central pillar of the agreement is the full integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Syrian Ministries of Defense and Interior on an individual basis. Integration will follow security vetting and will include the granting of military ranks, salaries, and logistical entitlements in line with state regulations.

The SDF leadership committed to refraining from incorporating remnants of the former Syrian regime into its ranks and to providing the government with lists of former-regime officers present in northeastern Syria.

To ensure political participation and local representation, the agreement stipulates that a presidential decree will be issued appointing a nominee to serve as governor of Al Hasakah.

In the city of Ain Al Arab (Kobani), the deal calls for the removal of heavy military deployments. Security will be handled by a locally recruited force drawn from city residents, alongside a local police unit administratively affiliated with the Ministry of Interior.

ISIS Detainees and National Security

Responsibility for prisons and detention camps holding tens of thousands of suspected Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS) fighters and their families will be transferred to the Syrian government.

The administration managing these facilities and the forces guarding them will be integrated into state structures, giving Damascus full legal and security responsibility for the detainees.

The agreement also reaffirms Syria’s commitment to continuing the fight against ISIS as an active member of the US-led International Coalition, in coordination with the United States.

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the agreement, describing it as a major turning point. “This is a pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” Barrack wrote in a post on X.

“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.

Barrack acknowledged the challenges involved in integrating Kurdish-led forces into state institutions and said Washington “stands firmly behind this process at every stage.”

U.S. Envoy Thomas Barrack expresses Washington’s welcome for the ceasefire agreement and the full integration of the SDF into Syria’s state institutions, noting that it “represents a turning point paving the way for renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria.”#SANA pic.twitter.com/mkZoi9aAgI

— SANA English (@SANAEnOfficial) January 18, 2026

Political Participation and Kurdish Rights

The agreement provides for what officials described as a “national partnership” through the adoption of a list of candidates proposed by the SDF leadership for senior military, security, and civilian positions within the central state structure.

It also formally welcomes Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, which recognizes Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and seeks to address long-standing civil and legal issues. These include the status of unregistered or stateless persons and unresolved property claims dating back decades.

Syrian officials said the decree represents the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since Syria’s independence from France in 1946. Commitments include recognizing Kurdish as an official language and marking the Kurdish New Year as a national holiday.

PKK Issue and Regional Implications

The SDF committed to the removal of all non-Syrian members and leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from Syrian territory, a provision aimed at ensuring sovereignty and regional stability.

Turkiye considers the SDF to be an extension of the PKK, an organization Ankara has fought since 1984. Analysts say the agreement addresses long-standing Turkish security concerns and strengthens Damascus’s position regionally.

The final provisions of the agreement commit both sides to working toward arrangements for the safe and dignified return of residents displaced from Afrin and the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.

Officials said the agreement establishes a comprehensive framework covering ceasefire enforcement, territorial control, institutional integration, and civilian return, with al-Sharaa’s call for calm intended to ensure orderly implementation across eastern Syria.