Syrian government security forces entered the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Tuesday (3 February), security sources and witnesses said.
The move implements a U.S.-backed deal aimed at bringing Kurdish-run regions back under central government control.
The accord, declared on Friday (30 January), staved off the risk of more conflict between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Reuters journalists said the convoy headed straight to a security zone inside Qamishli for talks with senior Kurdish officials at the de facto political centre of the Kurdish-led administration that took shape during Syria's 14-year civil war.
The internal security forces were handed control of the security buildings of the Kurdish Asayish security forces and would deploy alongside the Asayish to maintain security in the city, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Nur Din al‑Baba in Qamishli.
“Today the Syrian people won ... and we begin a new chapter away from revenge, hate speech and divisions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Ministry vehicles entered the city of Hasakah on Monday (2 February), about 80 km (47 miles) south of Qamishli.
The 30 January accord foresees a phased integration of Kurdish fighters with Damascus forces. The U.S. has hailed the agreement as a milestone towards unity and reconciliation after the war that fractured the country into rebel fiefdoms.
The SDF were once Washington's main Syrian ally, playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants.
But its position took a major hit as U.S. President Donald Trump cultivated relations with al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.
Many Arab towns and villages in Hasakah province have welcomed the end of SDF control over their areas, saying the Kurdish-led authorities had deprived their communities and marginalised them during their rule.
However, Qamishli was under curfew for a second day on Tuesday, part of measures the Kurdish-led authorities imposed on Hasakah and on Kobani, or Ain al-Arab, along the Turkish border, residents said.
Trouble broke out in several neighbourhoods of Hasakah on Monday between SDF forces and local Arab residents.
The Kurdish-led forces blamed Islamist militants, while Arab residents said the SDF had fired at demonstrators in a clampdown on public celebrations over the end of SDF rule.
Arab grievances about Kurdish-led rule are dismissed by the SDF leadership. The Kurds were an oppressed minority under the Assad family’s 54‑year rule and established de facto autonomy during the civil war in a largely Arab‑populated region.
The SDF, which controlled Syria’s main oil fields and a basket of key commodities during its rule, says it sought to redress injustices by creating a system of governance that represented all ethnic groups and minorities.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials....
Uzbekistan is accelerating plans to expand uranium production and deepen international nuclear cooperation, positioning the sector as a pillar of long...
A landmark gathering of commercial and political minds has convened in the Kyrgyz capital, signalling a significant shift in Washington’s foreign po...
Syrian government security forces entered the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Tuesday (3 February), security sources and witnesses...
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 18 people, including four children, in Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, as Israel h...
What has unfolded in northern Syria recently is not the dramatic defeat of a community, nor a humanitarian parable of “betrayal”. It reflects a familiar pattern in Middle Eastern geopolitics: the quiet removal of a proxy whose strategic usefulness has expired.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 30th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Lebanon plans to transfer more than 300 Syrian prisoners to Syria under a bilateral agreement between the two countries, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said on Friday.
The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared a ceasefire deal on Friday (30 January) that foresees a phased integration of Kurdish forces with the state.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío has denied that Havana and Washington have entered formal negotiations, countering recent assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying the island is open to dialogue under certain conditions.
Mexico said it will stop sending oil to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Web Summit Qatar 2026 opened in Doha on Sunday, drawing tens of thousands of founders, investors, policymakers and technology leaders to what organisers describe as one of the region’s largest digital economy gatherings.
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence firm xAI, as the billionaire moves to bring more of his technology businesses under one structure.
Uzbekistan is accelerating plans to expand uranium production and deepen international nuclear cooperation, positioning the sector as a pillar of long-term industrial growth and resource security.
A landmark gathering of commercial and political minds has convened in the Kyrgyz capital, signalling a significant shift in Washington’s foreign policy approach towards the Eurasian heartland.
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 18 people, including four children, in Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, as Israel halts the passage of patients through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Abu Dhabi, February 4, reaffirming momentum in their peace process and highlighting growing trade, connectivity and confidence-building measures.
A second group of Palestinians receiving medical treatment arrived in Egypt from Gaza via the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday (3 February).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment