Kurdish SDF forces agree to ceasefire with Syrian government after offensive

Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces effectively capitulated to the Syrian government after suffering crushing losses from a major offensive.

Weeks of on-and-off fighting culminated in a major offensive by government forces against long-held Kurdish areas, where they were joined by disgruntled Arab tribesmen. As SDF forces increasingly faced a full collapse, Kurdish leaders agreed to a ceasefire, the terms of which amounted to a complete capitulation to Damascus.

Residents wave a Syrian flag atop a toppled statue of a female Kurdish fighter, with one holding a statue’s replica AK-47 that was part of the statue, after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

“This looks like the end