The Syrian government has announced a four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following rapid military advances by government troops in the country’s northeast.
The Syrian Army said the ceasefire came into effect at 8pm local time (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday. It added that it had asked the SDF to nominate a candidate for the post of assistant defence minister in Damascus, as part of efforts to integrate Kurdish forces into the Syrian state.
The SDF confirmed it had accepted the ceasefire and said it would not carry out military operations unless attacked. In a statement, the group said it remained open to political dialogue and negotiated solutions and was ready to move forward with implementing the January 18 agreement in a way that supports de-escalation and stability.
However, shortly after the truce took effect, the SDF accused government-aligned forces of launching attacks using heavy weapons on the village of Tal Baroud along the Abyad road south of Hasakah.
SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said the town of Zarkan had come under intense artillery fire in recent hours, and that al-Aqtan Prison north of Raqqa had also been targeted with five suicide drones and heavy gunfire.
In recent days, Syrian government forces have rapidly advanced into areas previously held by the SDF, marking the most significant shift in territorial control since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power following the fall of former leader Bashar al-Assad.
Syria’s Interior Ministry said government forces had begun taking control of the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which houses thousands of family members of ISIL (ISIS) fighters as well as other long-term refugees. The SDF relinquished control of the camp earlier on Tuesday.
The SDF continues to control the cities of Hasakah and the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli. The Syrian government said its forces would not attempt to enter either city during the ceasefire period.
Under mounting military pressure, the SDF has agreed to withdraw from the Arab-majority governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, which it had controlled for years and which include Syria’s main oilfields.
Abdul Karim Omar, a Kurdish representative in Damascus, told Al Jazeera that northeastern Syria, formerly under SDF control, is prepared for the integration of SDF forces into state institutions.
Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, said the government hoped the ceasefire would hold. “We are working with our partners in the United States to ensure that it does,” he said.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the Syrian government had now become Washington’s main partner in the fight against ISIL, a role previously held by the SDF.
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