Ceasefire between Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces extended for 15 days

Syrian defence ministry says extension aims to help transfer of ISIL prisoners from facilities previously held by SDF.Published On 24 Jan 2026A ceasefire agreement between Syria’s military and Kurdish-led forces has been extended for 15 days, the Syrian Ministry of Defence announced.The ministry said late on Saturday that the extension, which began at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), aims to support a United States operation to transfer ISIL (ISIS) prisoners from detention facilities previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US envoy meets SDF commander, calls for Syria ceasefire to be upheldlist 2 of 3Anxiety, anger, and hope in Syria’s Damascus after SDF ceasefirelist 3 of 3Syrian government takes over prison with ISIL-linked detainees in Raqqaend of listThe SDF also confirmed that the ceasefire was extended, stressing in a statement that the deal “contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability”.Reporting from the Syrian capital Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna said the announcement has spurred a feeling of relief in the country.“While this ceasefire is welcome in Syria, there’s still a lot of concern because the central issue that has caused the fighting between the SDF and the government hasn’t been resolved,” he said.“And that issue is integration: integrating SDF fighters and civil institutions into [Syrian] government institutions.”Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal with the SDF in March of last year to integrate the group into state institutions following the fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.But the plan faltered amid disagreements between the two sides over how best to implement the agreement, spurring a wave of deadly clashes in several parts of the country in recent weeks.Earlier this week, Damascus announced a four-day truce to halt a wave of fighting that saw Syrian government forces rapidly advance and seize territory previously held by the SDF.