Syrian govt solidifies grip on nation after clashes with US-backed militias

Damascus has announced a peace deal furthering its control over the state’s institutions and oil fields

The Syrian government in Damascus announced a deal with US-backed Kurdish militias on Sunday that strengthens its control over northeastern parts of the country.

The agreement and an accompanying ceasefire follow weeks of deadly clashes. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after toppling the previous government in late 2024, is seeking to reassert control over a nation fractured by a decade of civil war and foreign intervention by regional and global players, including the US.

Under the deal, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will integrate into government institutions as demanded by Damascus. The central authorities will also assert civilian control over the northeastern governorates of Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Al-Hasakah, previously under Kurdish administration and contested in the recent fighting.

In return, al-Sharaa pledged to respect Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and resolve accumulated legal issues regarding Kurds’ status and property. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi is due to meet the president on Monday, after his scheduled trip on Sunday was postponed.

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The agreement, announced after al-Sharaa met with US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack in Damascus, is seen as a major victory for him and his Turkish allies. Ankara views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist militant group that has fought a decades-long guerrilla war against Türkiye. The SDF agreed to expel PKK elements from Syrian territory as part of the settlement.

Kurdish troops served as the main US proxy on the ground during Washington’s campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), which gained strength in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

Kurdish control of oil and gas fields in Deir ez-Zor aided the US strategy of economic stifling of the government of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. After al-Sharaa – a former militant leader linked to Al-Qaeda and backed by Türkiye – seized power, the US lifted sanctions, opening avenues for foreign-funded reconstruction.

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Gaps in Damascus’ sovereignty were highlighted last October, when the first parliamentary elections under al-Sharaa were held, except in Kurdish-controlled territories or areas held by the Druze, another Syrian ethnic minority with a history of militancy and current links to Israel.