Syrian government troops occupied territories that were controlled by the Kurds for more than 10 years

In a couple of days, the Syrian military ousted Kurdish forces from vast territories in the north of the country, which the latter had held for about 10 years. After this, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the signing of a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The country's army, with the support of local militias, captured large parts of the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. The military took control of two large hydroelectric power stations on the Euphrates, as well as oil and gas fields.

Government forces were also seen in the city of Raqqa, the center of the province of the same name. As CNN notes , the city was previously the main stronghold of ISIS militants.

These territorial gains were the result of a rapid two-day advance of government troops to the north of the country, notes the Middle East Eye portal. On Sunday, the Syrian government and the predominantly Kurdish SDF signed an agreement for an immediate ceasefire. According to the Syrian agency SANA, it also provides for the transfer of the provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to the full control of the Syrian government.

Hasakah province still remains under predominantly SDF control, with a significant Kurdish population living there. Here, local authorities will be obliged to transfer all civil institutions under the control of the Syrian state and its structures. The provincial governor will be appointed by mutual agreement between the SDF and Damascus. Kurdish forces will also be able to nominate their representatives for high-level positions in the military, security and civilian spheres in the central government structure.

Damascus has also gained control of all fields and border points in the region, and SDF fighters, after thorough security checks, will transfer to serve in the armed forces controlled by the Syrian government, or the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In addition, the SDF, as part of the agreements, undertakes to remove from the country all leaders and members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party of non-Syrian origin “to ensure sovereignty and regional stability.”

As Reuters notes , until the last moment the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces resisted integration into the new government of the country led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, which was formed after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The SDF was formed in 2015 and later proclaimed the Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria, outside the control of the Assad government.

In a conversation with The Insider , orientalist Marianna Belenkaya calls the agreement reached by the two parties a “great precedent.” Similar agreements were reached a year ago ( in the spring of 2025 ), but then they were never implemented in practice, but now the situation has changed, since the Kurdish forces ceded a significant part of their territories to government forces, the expert notes:

“The Kurds have less land resources under their control and less ability to control the main Syrian oil and gas fields. They found themselves cut off from the other part of Syria.

As for integration, this topic was discussed a year ago, but [then nothing] worked out because the Kurds don’t want it. The Kurds want to be integrated within the Syrian army as an independent unit, but they have failed to achieve this. They have less and less time to maneuver. They were shown that no one would stand on ceremony with them. They were threatened with force, and force was on the side of Damascus.

The United States is ready to defend the rights of the Kurds, and last Friday, before the signing of the agreement, significant changes took place in legislation, in particular, the Syrian language of the Kurds was recognized as the national language of Syria and their holiday Nowruz was recognized as a national holiday. <...> Now the Kurds have received a little more than a year ago, but integration issues are very complex. The relationship between Kurdish and Arab forces on the ground is very difficult, because over the years many grievances have accumulated. Clashes are ongoing now and there will be cases of settling scores.”

The Kurds will probably make concessions, since Damascus has the advantage in the negotiations, and the Kurds “do not have any armed support,” Belenkaya believes. However, it is difficult to predict how long-term and durable the agreements reached will be, the expert says.

Orientalist Rustam Suleymanov also notes that the agreements themselves are “not much different” from those proposed a year ago. They were not implemented then, and there are no guarantees that they will be implemented now, the expert believes:

“Damascus has shown strength, but the Kurds are not going to give up. This will still be the subject of very difficult and lengthy negotiations. The Kurds are ready to fight for their autonomy, for their independence, but they are definitely not ready to just lay down their arms and submit to the will of Damascus. This won't happen. For now, in my opinion, there is a chance to solve this problem through negotiations, like last year, but to achieve a solution, concessions are necessary - either the Kurds agree to partial integration and gradual armament in exchange for security guarantees and independence, or Damascus recognizes the autonomy of the Kurds, and then the Syrian state will be reformatted according to the principle of federalization.”

Concessions, according to Suleymanov, must be made both from the Kurds and from the Syrian government, otherwise hostilities will inevitably resume.