Syria and SDF Forge Ceasefire and Integration Agreement

The Syrian government has announced an immediate nationwide ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country, according to Syrian state media. The ceasefire ends nearly two weeks of fighting and forms part of a broader 14-point agreement that will see the SDF integrated into Syria's military and state institutions. Speaking in Damascus, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the deal would allow Syrian state institutions to reassert control over three eastern and northern governorates - al-Hasakah, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa. The announcement followed a meeting between al-Sharaa and the US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, in Damascus. Barrack praised the agreement as a step toward a "unified Syria." SDF commander Mazloum Abdi was expected to attend the meeting but was unable to travel due to weather conditions, with his visit postponed until Monday, al-Sharaa said. Kurdish-led forces established their autonomous administration during Syria's civil war, almost a decade ago, with strong backing from the United States, which armed and trained the SDF as its main local partner in the fight against the Islamic State group (Isis). With US military support, the SDF drove Isis from much of northeastern Syria and went on to govern both Kurdish and Arab-majority areas. Under the agreement, signed by al-Sharaa and Abdi, Syrian authorities will take over civilian institutions, border crossings and oil and gas fields that have underpinned Kurdish self-rule. SDF military and security personnel will be integrated into Syria's defence and interior ministries following vetting, while Damascus will assume responsibility for prisons and detention camps holding tens of thousands of foreign Isis fighters and their families. Damascus also reiterated pledges to recognise Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights, including giving Kurdish official language status and marking the Kurdish new year as a national holiday - the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since Syria's independence from France in 1946. The agreement also reaffirms Syria's participation in the US-led coalition against Islamic State. The deal follows months of stalled negotiations after a previous integration effort failed and comes after Syrian government forces moved into Raqqa and nearby oil facilities following an SDF withdrawal earlier on Sunday. Al-Sharaa said last week it was unacceptable for a militia to control a quarter of the country and hold its main oil and commodities resources.