In the space of two days, the Syrian military, aided by tribal militia, has driven Kurdish forces from wide swathes of northern Syria that they have held for more than a decade. After the territorial gains, Syria’s president said Sunday that an agreement had been reached with the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to end the fighting in the northeast of the country. But beginning on Saturday, the Syrian military pushed into areas not covered by the agreement, and Kurdish forces appear to have retreated in disarray. Karam al-Masri/ReutersWhat have Syrian forces seized? The SDF, which has not yet commented on Sunday’s agreement, had been insisting on having Kurdish units within the military.

Source: CNN January 18, 2026 19:53 UTC