ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government have reached an agreement to cease military operations, deploy Damascus-affiliated forces to Qamishli and Hasakah, and integrate the SDF into Syria’s state institutions, state TV announced Tuesday.

The deal was announced following a high-level meeting in Damascus between SDF chief Mazloum Abdi, leading a delegation from Rojava (northeast Syria), and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

“An understanding has been reached stipulating the deployment of Syrian Ministry of Interior personnel within cities and vital areas to ensure security (Hasakah, Qamishli, and other areas),” state TV said, citing “private sources.” 

Per the agreement, Kurdish-led forces are to remain in their current villages and areas of deployment, according to the sources.

“Arrangements will begin to integrate SDF forces into Syrian state institutions according to a framework whose details will be announced later,” the sources said, affirming that “all military operations will cease along all lines of engagement.” 

The implementation of the agreement is set to begin “within the next two days.” 

The agreement follows a brutal military offensive targeting Kurdish-held areas in Rojava, as Damascus-linked divisions rapidly advanced into territory the forces liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) a decade ago.

On Saturday, the Syrian defense ministry announced a 15-day extension to its ceasefire with the Kurdish-led SDF, but attacks by Damascus-aligned forces continue regardless.

Rojava’s authorities have described the campaign by Damascus as an “existential” war, issuing a call for “resistance” across all parts of Greater Kurdistan.

The Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated factions have also imposed a suffocating siege on the symbolic city of Kobane for over a week, with the UN reporting increasingly “worsening” humanitarian conditions in the city, days after five children died from severe cold and a lack of medical supplies.