ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A prisoner exchange process has started between the Syrian Arab Army and the Druze forces in the southern Suwayda province, involving dozens of fighters on both sides, state TV reported on Thursday.

Druze-majority Suwayda’s media directorate announced that the exchange of prisoners and those detained amid the July 2025 escalations began on Thursday.

In July, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented over 1,600 deaths in Suwayda as a result of clashes between Druze fighters and Damascus-backed Bedouin tribesmen, including more than 700 individuals from Suwayda, most of them being Druze.

“Detainees from the Suwayda province held by the Syrian government will be released in exchange for a number of prisoners” from Syrian forces and affiliated elements held by the Druze-led National Guard forces, read the directorate statement.

The process involves 61 Druze fighters and 30 Syrian security and defense personnel, local sources told state TV on Thursday.

The office of US Envoy Tom Barrack has received approval from both sides to finalize the deal, Syria’s al-Watan newspaper said, citing reports.

The media directorate stated that the handover process will take place under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at the governorate building north of the province.

“This step comes to strengthen national unity and thwart any attempts to destabilize the province,” it said. 

The ceasefire and integration agreement with the Kurdish-led forces also contains provisions for the release of fighters detained during January’s military campaign launched by Damascus in areas under the control of Kurdish authorities.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) on Tuesday called for serious action to begin implementing a prisoner swap between the Kurdish-led forces and Damascus, calling it an “urgent humanitarian step and a fundamental confidence-building measure.”

Syria has repeatedly fallen into sectarian conflict since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, leading Ahmed al-Sharaa to seize the presidency. The new authorities in Damascus have repeatedly been criticized for failing to protect minorities.