Turbulent Times in Syria: Kurds Lose Ground as Government Forces Advance

Tue Feb 03 2026 15:56:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a dramatic shift of power in Syria, President Ahmed al-Sharaa's forces have reclaimed significant territory from the Kurdish-led militia, reshaping the landscape of control in the region. What does this mean for the future of Kurdish autonomy in Syria?

Recent military advancements by Syrian government forces, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have resulted in the significant rollback of Kurdish-led control, particularly by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This transformation marks the largest territorial change in Syria since the civil war's end, threatening Kurdish autonomy and sparking concerns among various ethnic groups about their future. Sharaa's integration plans for the SDF could reshape Syria as it seeks to unify under a centralized government.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has made significant advances in his efforts to unify a deeply fractured Syria, reclaiming large swathes of territory in the north-east that had been under the control of a Kurdish-led militia alliance for more than a decade. What happens next will be a test for a government that has tried to assert its authority over the whole country.

The gains by government forces in a lightning offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) marked the biggest change of control in Syria since Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending the 13-year civil war. Before this month's push, nearly a third of Syria's territory was controlled by the Kurds, who enjoyed American support after helping a US-led coalition defeat the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in the last decade. There, they ran an enclave with its own government and institutions, with the SDF being its military arm.

The offensive came amid stalled talks between Sharaa's government and the SDF about the key issue of integrating its forces into the country's institutions. A deal was signed last March, but a year-end deadline expired with little progress as the SDF remained reluctant to give up its autonomy. The militia alliance, analysts say, miscalculated in its negotiations with the government, seeming to believe it would have the backing of its longtime ally.

On Sunday, after suffering stunning territorial losses, the SDF agreed on a 14-point deal that reversed almost all concessions it had gained from the government in earlier negotiations. Crucially, its members are expected to join the Syrian army and interior ministry as individuals - and not as separate units, as it had demanded - while the control of oil and gas fields, important for Syria's economic recovery, will be transferred to the government. SDF-run prisons and camps holding thousands of IS detainees and family members are also being brought under Damascus' control.

The announcement came days after Sharaa issued a decree that was seen as an attempt to reach out to the Kurds, whose rights had been denied in the five-decade rule by the Assads: it designated Kurdish as a national language, granted Syrian nationality to stateless Kurds, and declared the Nowruz - the Persian new year - a national holiday.

However, fighting erupted again, raising concerns about the potential for further escalation. Sharaa's government recently announced a ceasefire, giving the SDF four days to present a detailed plan for integration of areas under its control into the state. This has halted the movement towards Kurdish areas for now, but tensions remain high.

For the Kurds, the losses are a fatal blow to the aspirations of preserving their autonomy, with the US position being seen as a betrayal. The dramatic changes empower Sharaa but are likely to renew calls for him to decentralize authority, with critics saying key posts have been limited to his allies.