Syria reaches ceasefire with SDF, wins 'significant concessions from Kurds'

The agreement came after US envoy Tom Barrack met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa early Sunday  

News Desk - The Cradle

Syrian state media announced on 18 January an immediate ceasefire between the government and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the handover of territory and natural resources by the SDF.

The agreement comes after Syrian forces loyal to President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former Al-Qaeda and ISIS commander, took control of the strategic town of Tabqa and Raqqa from the SDF early Sunday.

Reports also suggest that the Syrian government forces have taken control over parts of the M4 highway, cutting off the Kurdish city of Kobani from the remainder of the SDF territory.

According to Rudaw, the agreement involves "significant concessions from Kurds," who had resisted integration into the Syrian state in an effort to maintain control of an autonomous region in northeast Syria and its significant energy resources.

Key points of the ceasefire agreement include:

• The handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates, as well as all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, to the Syrian government
• The complete integration of all SDF military and security personnel into the structures of the Syrian Ministries of Defense and Interior on an individual basis, rather than as Kurdish-commanded units
• Providing lists of officers from the former government of Bashar al-Assad who are present in areas of northeastern Syria
• Relinquishing control of ISIS prisoners and camps to the Syrian government, so that the Syrian government assumes full legal and security responsibility for them
• The adoption of a list of candidates submitted by the SDF leadership to hold high-ranking military, security, and civil positions within the central state structure to ensure national partnership

The Syrian government announced the ceasefire after President Sharaa met with US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack in Damascus on Sunday. Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani also attended the meeting, which "affirmed Syria's unity and sovereignty over its entire territory and highlighted the importance of dialogue during the current phase," SANA reported.

The SDF was formed by the US-led military coalition in Syria in 2015, and has since helped Washington oversee its occupation of Syrian oil fields. 

The latest tensions follow a significant reduction in the US military presence in Syria in recent months. Washington has left five of eight major bases in the country.

"There are new borders drawn for the SDF by Washington. Handovers, withdrawals, and transfers in areas east of the river. What's striking is the handover of oil and gas fields east of Deir Ezzor to Damascus, which was done smoothly and in the presence of the US, meaning that the oil issue remains in Washington's hands. We'll wait to see how things will settle and at what point we'll understand the nature of the 'deal' that Washington has made with Ankara," commented Lebanese journalist Khalil Nasrallah.