Syria said it had reached a ceasefire with a US-backed Kurdish militia, opening a path to unifying the fractured country after years of civil war.
The Syrian Democratic Forces control large parts of northeast Syria, and were a longstanding ally of Washington against the Islamic State group. But Damascus, seeking to unify the country, demanded the SDF integrate now that the Assad dictatorship has fallen and IS is significantly weakened. Tensions had given way to fighting, and over the weekend Damascus declared a series of battlefield victories over the SDF.
The ceasefire calls for an “immediate administrative and military” handover of SDF-controlled areas, although Kurds remain distrustful, The Washington Post reported.