Syrian government announces ceasefire with Kurdish-led Democratic Forces

Residents wave a Syrian flag atop a toppled statue (Ghaith Alsayed/AP)

The Syrian government has announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the north east for more than a decade.

The agreement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push towards the east.

The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province.

Soldiers of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (Baderkhan Ahmad/AP)

Syria’s Defence Ministry said it has ordered the fighting to halt on the front lines after the agreement was announced.

Syria’s new leaders since toppling Bashar Assad in December 2024 have struggled to assert their full authority over the war-torn country.

An agreement was reached in March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it did not hit the ground running as both sides accused each other of violating the deal.