In order to transfer detained jihdis to Iraq, the ceasefire between Damascus and the Kurdish militias will remain in force for another 15 days.
afp | The Syrian government has extended a ceasefire with Kurdish militias by two weeks. The Syrian Defense Ministry said on Saturday evening that the ceasefire, which officially expired a few hours earlier, would be extended by “15 days”. This should be one Transfer of imprisoned members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia from Syria to Iraq are facilitated by the USA.
The predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had guarded prisons and camps with IS members in northeastern Syria. Syrian government troops recently drove Kurdish fighters out of several areas they previously controlled, including two neighborhoods in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, in an offensive in the north and east of the country. Finally, the SDF fighters withdrew from the areas they had previously controlled in the eastern part of Deir Essor.
In force since Tuesday
On Sunday last week, Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa signed – a former jihadist – and SDF leader Maslum Abdi then signed a ceasefire agreement. It came into force on Tuesday and stipulates that the Kurdish administration in north and northeast Syria will be integrated into the Syrian central government. In addition, the Syrian state should assume “responsibility” for the IS prisoners, which previously lay with the Kurds.
After the SDF fighters lost large areas to the Syrian army, the USA announced that 7,000 IS prisoners would be transferred from Syria to Iraq. The transfer of 150 senior IS representatives, including Europeans, began on Wednesday. According to an Iraqi security official, “up to 1,000” IS prisoners were to be brought from Syria to Iraq on Saturday.
Al-Sharaa supported by Trump
The ceasefire between the Syrian army and the Kurdish militias, initially scheduled to last four days, officially expired on Saturday at 8 p.m. local time. It had previously been said that the ceasefire should be extended – but there was initially no official statement on this. It was only three hours after the ceasefire expired that the Syrian Defense Ministry announced the extension for another two weeks.
The US-backed SDF played a decisive role in the defeat of the IS militia in Syria in 2019. The administration of US President Donald Trump now supports the new Islamist interim government of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Its Islamist HTS militia brought about the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Al-Sharaa’s interim government is accused of failing to adequately protect the rights and security of minorities such as Alawites, Druze and Kurds. The human rights situation in the country is considered fragile.
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