Damascus said its forces were entering the city in the northeastern province of Hasakah “to begin a security mission” under a U.S.-backed deal.
Published February 3, 2026
Syrian forces have begun moving into the northeastern city of Qamishli as part of a ceasefire agreement with Kurdish-led forces, the state news agency said.
SANA news agency reported on Tuesday that troops began entering cities in Syria’s Hasakah governorate “to implement the terms of the agreement and begin security operations”, citing the Syrian Interior Ministry.
The move came after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached an agreement with Damascus on Friday to integrate into Syria’s state institutions, ending weeks of tension and armed clashes with advancing government forces.
Syrian troops also entered the city of Hasakah on Monday under the agreement.
Reporting Tuesday from the outskirts of Tel Brak, a city outside Qamishli, Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said hundreds of people were following a Syrian military convoy heading toward the city.
She explained that the operation had “a lot of support” not only among some Kurds, but especially among local Arabs.
Still, Bo said, “There is tension and there is certainly a risk of violence.”
“The beginning of a new Syria”
Friday’s agreement averted the possibility of further conflict between the SDF and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharah, which lost large swaths of eastern and northern Syria to government forces in January.
The agreement, hailed by the United States as an important step toward unity and reconciliation, foresees the gradual integration of Kurdish fighters into government forces.
Bo said the deal marked a “huge change”, especially for people living in areas previously led by the SDF, with some Kurds concerned about the possibility of living under Syrian government control.
“But most of the people we see here are [in the Qamishli area] They are very happy and say this is the beginning of a new Syria and this is what the country needs in order to move forward and start rebuilding,” Bo said.
The al-Shara regime, which took power after the fall of Syria’s longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, is seeking to bring the divided country under central control.
But Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodor, reporting from Aleppo in northern Syria on Tuesday, said the integration process was expected to proceed “slowly and gradually” amid a “deep history of mistrust” among the Kurds, who were marginalized under the al-Assad regime.
“It’s one thing to take territory and another thing to maintain security and stability,” Hoddle said. “It’s going to be a very difficult road ahead.”
