World
Syrian forces take Raqqa after new ceasefire with Kurdish militias
President al-Sharaa recently signed a declaration guaranteeing the embattled minority equal rights as part of an integration plan
January 19, 2026 11:58
President al-Sharaa recently signed a declaration guaranteeing the embattled minority equal rights as part of an integration plan
January 19, 2026 11:58Syrian government forces have entered the northern city of Raqqa following a fresh round of clashes with Kurdish militias, which risked tipping the country back into civil war.
Since toppling the Assad regime in December 2024, new President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) movement have been pushing hard to unify the disparate factions that opposed his dictatorial predecessor.
The goal, ministers claim, is to incorporate the various armed groups into the Syrian military establishment and prevent a return to conflict.
However, government troops – primarily ethnic Arabs and many of whom are left over from HTS’ previous life as the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda – have been locked for the past year in on-and-off clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish militia which played a key role in the fight against Islamic State.
All the while, negotiations on absorbing the SDF into the national security apparatus have stalled, with Kurdish leaders particularly concerned by al-Sharaa’s increasingly close relations with Turkey, which has persecuted Kurdish communities on either side of the border for decades.
While Damascus announced a ceasefire earlier this month, after bombing raids saw thousands flee Aleppo, the SDF declined to commit to the truce, and fresh fighting soon broke out.
Now, though, both al-Sharaa and the SDF’s leadership have confirmed that a new ceasefire is in place, with the SDF also signing up to a 14-point plan to integrate itself into the Syrian state.
Government forces have now taken almost full control of the country, according to state media, and have taken the key city of Raqqa – once an Isis stronghold before being reclaimed by the Kurds.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show troops taking down the SDF’s flag in the city centre, while other were accused of toppling a statue dedicated to Kurdish women who fought in the civil war.
Damascus, meanwhile, has claimed that soldiers found evidence that prisoners had been executed by the SDF.
Nonetheless, the deal appears to be progressing, with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi due to meet al-Sharaa on Monday afternoon.
The US also appears to have given the agreement its backing, with Syria envoy Tom Barrack suggesting it marked a step towards a “unified Syria”.
Speaking during a televised public address, al-Sharaa announced that he had signed a decree guaranteeing Kurds equality under the law, returning citizenship to stateless Kurds (from whom it was stripped in 1962), enshrining Kurdish as a national language, and declaring Newroz, the Kurdish springtime festival, a national holiday.
He said: “There is no preference for an Arab, a Kurd, a Turk or anyone else, except by the piety of God and the righteousness of the person, regardless of their ethnicity.
"Beware of believing the narrative that we intend harm towards our Kurdish people.
"By God, whoever touches [the Kurds] with harm is our adversary until the Day of Judgement. Your life is our life.”
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