Syria's HTS regime agrees to truce with SDF after its troops advance
The leader of Syria’s Hay’at Tahrir al‑Sham administration has announced a deal with the head of the so‑called Syrian Democratic Forces that includes a ceasefire, following HTS advances across SDF‑held areas in the north and east.
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said he accepted the deal to avoid a wider war.
His decision came after deadly clashes on Sunday in the city of Raqqa between SDF units and fighters loyal to the HTS regime, as well as earlier confrontations this month between the two sides.
The agreement will also see the SDF’s administration and forces integrated into the HTS regime after months of stalled negotiations.
Abu Mohammad al‑Jolani, the HTS leader who previously served as a combatant with Al‑Qaeda and Daesh, announced the agreement to reporters on Sunday.
He said he had been scheduled to meet Abdi, but the meeting was postponed until Monday due to poor weather.
“In order to calm the situation, we decided to sign the agreement,” Sharaa said.
Syria’s HTS-led army captured the town of Tabqa from the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces during its advance towards the key city of Raqqa in the north.
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Abdi said in a statement broadcast by Ronahi TV that “to prevent this war from turning into a civil war… we agreed to withdraw from the Deir Ezzor and Raqqa regions to Hasakeh.”
He added that he would explain the details of the deal to Syrians after returning from Damascus.
HTS forces this weekend captured the strategic city of Tabqa in the Raqqa region, along with the Euphrates Dam.
They also advanced into parts of Deir Ezzor province, including the Al‑Omar oil field, the country’s largest, after earlier gains in Aleppo province.
Al‑Jolani met US envoy Tom Barrack on Sunday, who described the deal with the SDF as a “pivotal inflection point.”
The envoy, whose country has long supported SDF forces but also backs Syria’s HTS regime, had met Abdi in Erbil on Saturday.
The HTS administration published the text of the 14‑point agreement, which includes integrating SDF security forces into the HTS administration and the immediate handover of the Kurdish‑run Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces.
It also stipulates that Damascus will assume responsibility for Daesh prisoners and their families held in SDF‑run jails and camps.
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