Following the evacuation from eastern Aleppo, Kurdish forces have fully withdrawn from large swathes of territory east of the Euphrates River. On Sunday, Syrian government troops took control of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces with little to no resistance.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed that “factions affiliated with the Damascus government attacked our forces in several towns on the east bank of the Euphrates.”
With this unexpected advance, major oil and gas fields east of Deir ez-Zor—including the Omar oil field, Tanak oil field, and Conoco gas field—have come under Syrian government control. These fields had been a primary source of revenue for the Rojava administration.
After two days of tense standoffs and several low-intensity clashes, the Syrian government announced a new ceasefire agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces. The main provisions of the ceasefire are as follows:
- Immediate withdrawal of all SDF forces to the east of the Euphrates River.
- Syrian government takeover of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces.
- Individual integration of SDF personnel into the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries (following vetting).
- Transfer of all civilian institutions in Hasakah province to full state control.
- Syrian government assumption of control over all borders, oil fields, and gas fields in the region.
- Handover of administration and security for prisons holding Islamic State (ISIS) detainees to the central government.
- SDF commitment to expel all non-Syrian members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from Syrian territory.
