Syrian forces enter Kurdish-run city under ceasefire deal

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Syrian Interior Ministry security forces vehicles travel to enter the city of Hasakah in northeastern Syria, following an agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces reached on January 30, in Al-hasakah, Syria, February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

By Khalil Ashawi and Firas Makdesi (Reuters)

HASAKAH, Syria  -  Syrian government security forces deployed into a Kurdish-controlled city in the northeast on Monday under a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal that foresees the Kurdish-run regions being merged with Damascus.

The deal, declared on Friday, has staved off further conflict between President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which lost swathes of eastern and northern Syria to government troops in January.

Reuters journalists saw a convoy of more than 30 interior ministry vehicles begin moving towards the city of Hasakah from a position outside the city in the early afternoon. Two local sources in the city said they entered shortly afterwards.

The government forces are expected to be stationed in Syrian state buildings in Hasakah's so-called "security zone", a Syrian official and a Kurdish security source told Reuters ahead of the deployment.

The accord declared on Friday foresees a phased integration of Kurdish fighters with government forces. The United States has hailed the agreement as a historic milestone towards unity and reconciliation in Syria after 14 years of civil war.

The SDF was once Washington's main Syrian ally, playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants. But its status weakened as President Donald Trump built close ties with Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.      

 (Additional reporting by Feras Delatey in Beirut and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Aidan Lewis and Mark Heinrich // REUTERS)