Syrian government reaches deal with Kurdish-led forces

3 hours agoHafsa KhalilReutersMembers of the Kurdish-led SDF queue to settle their status with the Syrian Government on 27 January, 2026Syria's government has reached a deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance that would see the gradual intergration of Kurdish forces and institutions into the state.This comes after weeks of clashes which saw Syrian troops reclaim large swathes of territory in the north-east that had been under SDF control for more than a decade. US envoy Tom Barrack called it "a profound and historic milestone in Syria's journey toward national reconciliation, unity, and enduring stability".Earlier this month - and after its major territorial losses - the SDF agreed to a ceasefire that saw much of its hold brought under government control, but reports of clashes continued.Much like that 14-point agreement, Friday's deal would see SDF withdraw from points of contact, its members join the Syrian army and government, and the integration of its administrative and civil bodies into those of the state.The SDF said the agreement also includes the formation of a military division consisting of three brigades made of its members.The statement on X added that an agreement on the civil and educational rights for Kurdish people was also reached, as well as a guarantee that those displaced would be allowed to return to their homes.Part of the deal saw the transfer of prisons, oil and gas fields - which were under SDF control - to Damascus.Syrian troops seized control of the Omar facility, the country's largest oilfield, after the SDF pulled back. Earlier, the army took the strategic Tabqa dam on the Euphrates River.The Kurds previously controlled nearly a third of Syria's territory with the support of the US after it helped defeat the Islamic State (IS) group. Their recent losses mark the biggest change of control in the country since the toppling of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, which ended Syria's 13-year civil war.Since leading the rebel offensive that overthrew the Assad regime, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to reunify a divided Syria. After the ceasefire was agreed on 18 January, he said he hoped it would allow the country to "end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress". Sharaa also issued a decree recognising Kurdish cultural, linguistic and civil rights by making Kurdish a national language, granting nationality to stateless Kurds, and declaring their new year a national holiday.This is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria's independence in 1946.This agreement followed months of stalled negotiations over a March 2025 integration deal, which both sides had accused each other of trying to derail.