Syrian government and SDF 'extend ceasefire deadline' amid US mediation

Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are moving toward de-escalation after allegedly agreeing to extend a four-day deadline for implementing their 18 March agreement, potentially by up to a month, according to sources cited by The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The extension follows high-level meetings in Erbil involving the US president’s envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, amid mutual assurances of "no return to war".

As part of confidence-building steps, the SDF announced on Friday that it had completed the withdrawal of hundreds of its fighters from al-Aqatan prison in Raqqa.

"With the support of the International Coalition, we have completed the transfer of our fighters tasked with securing al-Aqatan prison," the SDF said.

The Syrian Interior Ministry later confirmed it had taken over the facility and begun a comprehensive review of detainees’ files, adding that specialised counter-terrorism units were deployed to secure the prison.

The 18 March agreement provides for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of SDF forces east of the Euphrates, the handover of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to the Syrian government, and the integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Ministries of Defence and Interior. It also stipulates that Damascus assumes full responsibility for Islamic State group detainees and camps.

Abdi said on X that his meeting with Nechirvan Barzani came "in the context of political efforts aimed at bringing viewpoints closer between us and the Syrian government", praising the mediation role of Masoud and Nechirvan Barzani.

Following a separate meeting with Barrack and US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, Abdi described US support as "serious and of great importance", adding: "We will work with all our capabilities and in a serious manner to achieve genuine integration and preserve the current ceasefire."

Reuters quoted Iraqi Kurdish politician Wafa Mohammed of the Kurdistan Democratic Party as saying the Erbil meeting was held at the request of Iraqi Kurdish leaders, noting "strong American and international pressure" on the SDF to implement the agreement.

However, she warned that the SDF "does not trust the promises made by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa". A Syrian Foreign Ministry official told Reuters that Damascus "preferred from the outset a political solution", insisting Kurdish rights are "guaranteed" and that Kurds "will not be marginalised as they were during the era of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad".

Political activists close to the SDF told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that discussions include proposals for both sides to withdraw around 10 kilometres from contact lines in Hasakah province, with Syrian internal security forces later taking control of institutions.

Zaid Safouk, coordinator of the Independent Kurdistan Movement in Syria, said any military friction in Kurdish-majority areas risks triggering an “ethnic war”, adding that a renewed conflict would undermine US President Donald Trump’s claim to have ended wars and promoted peace.

Damascus has meanwhile blamed the SDF for previous ceasefire violations. Syrian Foreign Ministry diplomat Iyad Hazzah told state news agency SANA that the 10 March agreement failed due to "attempts to impose a separatist reality", stressing that the state alone has the right to monopolise arms.

"All options are open, from political solutions to measured security or military intervention," he said.

The developments coincide with US-led efforts to transfer IS detainees from Syria to Iraq. US Central Command said it had begun moving detainees to secure Iraqi facilities, prioritising the “most dangerous” fighters.

Iraqi security officials told AFP that the first group includes senior IS leaders of multiple nationalities, while the EU warned that reports of detainee escapes are a source of "grave concern".

US officials told The Wall Street Journal that Washington is studying a full withdrawal of US forces from Syria, citing doubts over the mission’s viability if the SDF dissolves.

"If the SDF fully dissolves, there would be no reason for US forces to remain," the paper quoted officials as saying.