ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Around 300 detained Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members are set to be freed by Damascus on Thursday in Rojava’s (northeast Syria) Hasaka as part of a reciprocal prisoner exchange process, as both sides continue efforts to implement the January ceasefire agreement.

Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesperson for the presidential team overseeing the integration process, announced that 300 Kurdish-led fighters arrested during the January confrontations with Damascus will be released on Thursday, marking the eve of Eid al-Fitr.

The process will be carried out “under the direct supervision of the internal security forces command in Hasakah province," state media cited the spokesperson as saying.

Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) commander Mahmoud Khalil Ali, also known as Siyamand Afrin, said on X that 300 detained Syrian fighters “will be released today in Hasakah city – Al-Sabbagh roundabout.”

Another batch of prisoners was released on March 11, where around 100 SDF prisoners were released by the Syrian government in exchange for the Kurdish-led forces freeing an equal number of prisoners.

Earlier in March, the two sides agreed to form a joint committee to follow up on the files of displaced persons and prisoners, during which “the lists and records pertaining to prisoners were exchanged with the government,” according to the Asayish commander. 

The move comes as part of the implementation of the January 29 agreement signed between the Syrian government and the Rojava (northeast Syria) authorities, with a key provision involving the release of prisoners detained in the recent conflicts.

The January ceasefire and integration agreement was signed after weeks of an intense military confrontation between the two sides, which was kickstarted early January after Syrian-backed factions advanced into SDF-held areas.

The areas were previously liberated and maintained by the Kurdish-led forces during the war with the Islamic State (ISIS).