Syrian President al-Sharaa and SDF Commander Sign Ceasefire on Troop Withdrawal East of the Euphrates
By Rizik Alabi/The Media Line
[DAMASCUS] It was officially announced that a ceasefire and full integration agreement has been signed between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in a step described as the broadest and most sensitive since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict. The agreement aims to end the SDF’s military and administrative presence and to integrate the areas under its control into the Syrian state’s institutions.
A journalist from The Media Line was present at the Syrian Presidential Palace as President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed the agreement, while commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, signed it remotely on camera. Tom Barrack, United States Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, was also present.
The agreement stipulates a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire on all fronts, accompanied by the withdrawal of SDF military formations to east of the Euphrates as a preliminary step for redeployment, indicating the beginning of the dismantling of the organization’s independent military structure.
It also provides for the administrative and military handover of the provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to the Syrian government. Under the agreement, the state would regain full control over government institutions, security facilities, and key infrastructure, while pledging not to pursue SDF employees or members of civil administrations and instead to integrate them into state structures. This is intended to prevent an administrative vacuum and ease local tensions.
In Al-Hasakah province, the agreement stipulates the full integration of all civil institutions into state institutions, along with the issuance of a preside
One of the key provisions of the agreement is the restoration of the Syrian government’s full control over border crossings and oil and gas fields in the northeast of the country, issues that have long been a source of regional and international dispute. This provision aims to return sovereign resources to the state treasury and place them under the protection of regular forces.
In addition, the integration of SDF military and security personnel will be enacted on an individual basis, into the Ministries of Defense and Interior, following security vetting, with ranks and legal entitlements granted. This is intended to prevent the emergence of parallel military blocs within the army, while emphasizing the protection of the privacy of Kurdish areas.
The agreement obligates the SDF leadership to remove all non-Syrian leaders and members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party from Syrian territory, a demand long raised by both Damascus and Ankara and viewed as a message of regional reassurance related to sovereignty and regional security.
Under the deal, full legal and security responsibility for Islamic State detainees and camps would be transferred to the Syrian government, while coordination in counterterrorism efforts would continue within the framework of the international coalition and in cooperation with the United States.
The development comes amid rapid regional and international changes and mounting pressure to reunify Syrian territory and end semi-independent entities. It also reflects a shift in the Syrian state’s approach to the Kurdish issue, as evidenced by Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, which recognized Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and pledged to address issues related to unregistered persons and property rights.
Observers believe the agreement effectively marks the end of the SDF as an independent military and political entity and the beginning of a new phase marked by the reassertion of state authority, in exchange for political and rights guarantees for the Kurds and an effort to close one of the most complex chapters of the Syrian conflict.
The implementation of the truce’s provisions on the ground remains the most prominent challenge, especially regarding military redeployment, ensuring security and stability, and managing local and regional reactions. However, the agreement’s signing at the highest political and military levels grants it exceptional weight and makes it a pivotal development in the Syrian crisis.
This agreement goes beyond a temporary security settlement and amounts to a comprehensive reconfiguration of the balance of power in northern and eastern Syria. On the one hand, the Syrian state regained control over sensitive sovereign matters, including oil resources, border crossings, weapons, and prisons, without engaging in a broad military confrontation. This was made possible by shifting international dynamics and the reduced leverage available to the SDF.
On the other hand, the SDF accepted a transition from a semi-independent entity to an integrated partner within the state, in exchange for guarantees of political representation, cultural rights, and protection of the Kurdish social structure. The timing and substance of the agreement reflect Damascus’ effort to close one of the most complex issues tied to foreign intervention in Syria and to reduce international justifications for a continued military presence. It also signals the end of parallel administrations, with the state seeking to manage diversity within a centralized framework through conditional integration rather than dismantlement.
Caption: US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meet at the Presidential palace during the signing of the ceasefire with SDF, January 18, 2026. (Syrian Presidency)
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