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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country’s north and east.Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war.He made the decision after deadly clashes in the Syrian city of Raqa Sunday between Kurdish-led forces and local fighters loyal to Damascus, and fighting this month between the Kurds and government forces.The agreement will also see the Kurdish administration and forces integrate into the state after months of stalled negotiations on the issue.But it marks a blow for the minority, which has long held ambitions of preserving the de facto autonomy they had exercised over areas they held for over a decade.Sharaa announced the agreement to reporters on Sunday.He said had had been scheduled to meet Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), but that it had been postponed until Monday due to poor weather.”In order to calm the situation, we decided to sign the agreement,” Sharaa said.Abdi said in a statement broadcast by Kurdish television channel Ronahi that “in order for this war not to turn into civil war… we accepted to withdraw from the Deir Ezzor and Raqa regions to Hasakeh”.He said he would explain the deal’s details to Syria’s Kurds after returning from Damascus.- ‘Pivotal’ -Government forces this weekend captured the strategic city of Tabqa in the Raqa region as well as the Euphrates Dam. They also advanced into parts of Deir Ezzor province, including the Al-Omar oil field, the country’s largest, having earlier made advances in Aleppo province.Syrian state media reported celebrations in some areas after the deal’s announcement, including in Raqa city where state media had earlier said SDF gunfire had killed two civilians.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor had reported fighting between the SDF and “local Arab tribal fighters” in the city.Sharaa on Sunday met US envoy Tom Barrack, who called the deal with the Kurds a “pivotal inflection point”.The envoy, whose country has long supported the Kurdish forces but also backs Syria’s new Islamist authorities, had met Abdi in Erbil on Saturday.The Syrian presidency published the text of the 14-point agreement, which includes integrating the SDF and Kurdish security forces into the state and the immediate handover of Kurdish-run Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces.It will also see Damascus take responsibility for Islamic State group prisoners and their families held in Kurdish-run jails and camps. Alexander McKeever, researcher and author of the This Week in Northern Syria newsletter, said the deal “falls significantly short of what the SDF had established over the years in the northeast, as well as the decentralised scenario it had been pushing for in negotiations”.Sharaa had on Friday issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition, but the Kurds said the announcement fell short of their expectations.Earlier Sunday, an AFP correspondent on Raqa’s outskirts reported hearing gunfire and said government forces had brought reinforcements and were combing parts of the city.The SDF suddenly withdrew “from all areas under its control in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oil fields”, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.He said the movements in Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces came as “fighters from local tribes, including Arab fighters who are part of the SDF, advanced in coordination with government troops”.Deir Ezzor province said all public institutions were closed Sunday and urged people to stay home.- ‘Opening door wide’ -The government push captured Arab-majority areas that came under Kurdish control during the fight against IS.Damascus also said it retook the Safyan and Al-Tharwa oil fields in Raqa province.Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the return of the area’s resources to state control “means opening the door wide for reconstruction, revitalising agriculture, energy and trade”. The army also announced its control of the Euphrates Dam near Tabqa, a key water and energy facility that includes one of Syria’s largest hydroelectric power stations.An AFP correspondent had seen armoured vehicles and tanks around Tabqa, with security personnel patrolling the streets.Shops were closed, but some residents milled outside their homes, lighting fires to keep warm.Resident Ahmad Hussein told AFP: “We have suffered a lot, and I hope that the situation will improve with the arrival of the Syrian army.”Near the dam, an AFP photographer saw residents destroying a statue honouring a woman who fought with Kurdish forces and who was killed by IS during the battle for Raqa city.burs-lar/lg/jj

Limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again, a monitor said Sunday, 10 days into a communications blackout that rights groups said aimed to mask a protest crackdown that killed thousands.Iran’s president warned that an attack on the country’s supreme leader would be a declaration of war — an apparent response to US counterpart Donald Trump saying it was time to look for new leadership in Iran.Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years.The rallies subsided after the crackdown that rights groups have called a “massacre” carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8.Monitor Netblocks said late Sunday that “traffic levels have fallen after a brief, heavily filtered restoration of select Google and messaging services in Iran”.Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots” and blamed foreign influence from Iran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel. Trump, who joined Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, had repeatedly threatened new military action against Tehran if protesters were killed.While Washington appeared to have stepped back, Trump hit out at supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an interview with Politico on Saturday, saying it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran”. “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday warned on X: “An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation.”As leaders in Washington and Tehran have exchanged barbs, Iranian officials have said calm has been restored in the streets. Security forces with armoured vehicles and motorcycles were seen in central Tehran, according to AFP correspondents.- ‘Cannot just stay silent’ -Schools reopened on Sunday after a week of closure.Pezeshkian meanwhile told a cabinet meeting that he “recommended to the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council that internet restrictions be lifted as soon as possible”.Some users reported access to WhatsApp, while outgoing international calls had resumed since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday. Fars news agency on Sunday reported that the chief executive of Irancell, Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator, was dismissed for failing to comply with the government’s decision to shut down the internet.Solidarity demonstrations have continued in multiple cities in recent days, including in Berlin, London and Paris.Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups.Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days showing a “massacre of protesters” by security forces.Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.However, the NGO warns the true toll is likely far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll for the protests.Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 — and possibly as high as 20,000 — though the internet blackout has severely hampered independent verification, IHR says.The overseas-based opposition Iran International channel has said at least 12,000 people were killed during the protests, citing senior government and security sources.Iran’s judiciary has rejected that figure.- ‘Not be spared’ -On Saturday, Khamenei said “a few thousand” people had been killed by what he called “agents” of the United States and Israel, and Iranian local media has reported multiple deaths among security forces.Khamenei said authorities “must break the back of the seditionists”, as local media have reported thousands of arrests and rights groups have estimated up to 20,000 people have been detained. On Sunday, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir reiterated that swift trials would be held, warning that some acts warranted the capital offence of “moharebeh”, or “waging war against God”. “All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared,” he said.Alarm has grown over the threat of capital punishment against arrested protesters, even as Trump said Iran had called off hundreds of executions.Analyst Arif Keskin cast doubt on Trump’s claim, saying “the Iranian leadership sees executions… as an effective tool to end protests, prevent them and suppress them”.burs-sw/jsa/jxb

Limited internet access has returned in Iran, a monitor said Sunday, 10 days after authorities imposed a communications blackout that rights groups have said was aimed at masking a violent protest crackdown that killed thousands.Iran’s president warned that an attack on the country’s supreme leader would be a declaration of war — an apparent response to US counterpart Donald Trump saying it was time to look for new leadership in Iran.Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years.The rallies subsided after the crackdown that rights groups have called a “massacre” carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity. Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots” and blamed foreign influence from Iran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel. Trump, who backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, had repeatedly threatened new military action against Tehran if protesters were killed. While Washington appeared to have stepped back, Trump hit out at supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — in power for 37 years — in an interview with Politico on Saturday, saying it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran”. “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday in an X post: “An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation.”As leaders in Washington and Tehran have exchanged barbs, Iranian officials have said calm has been restored in the streets. Security forces with armoured vehicles and motorcycles were seen in central Tehran, according to AFP correspondents.One new banner in central Tehran showed a set of dominoes with images including the former shah of Iran, ousted Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein and Trump with the caption, “dominoes falling”. Schools reopened on Sunday — Iran’s weekend falling on Thursday and Friday — after a week of closure and authorities said “internet access would also be gradually restored”, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday. – ‘Cannot just stay silent’ -Monitor Netblocks said some online services, including Google, had partially returned in Iran, though overall connectivity remained disrupted. Some users reported access to WhatsApp, while outgoing international calls had resumed since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday.  Solidarity demonstrations have continued in multiple cities in recent days, including in Berlin, London and Paris. “While our people and our loved ones are stuck there, are imprisoned as a whole nation there, we cannot just stay silent,” said a 32-year-old protester of Iranian origin who did not want to give her name. Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups. Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days showing a “massacre of protesters” by security forces.Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.However, the NGO warns the true toll is likely far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll for the protests.Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 — and possibly as high as 20,000 — though the internet blackout has severely hampered independent verification, IHR says.The opposition Iran International channel based outside the country has said at least 12,000 people were killed during the protests, citing senior government and security sources.Iran’s judiciary has rejected that figure.- ‘Not be spared’ -On Saturday, Khamenei said “a few thousand” people had been killed by what he called “agents” of the United States and Israel, and Iranian local media has reported multiple deaths among security forces.Khamenei said authorities “must break the back of the seditionists”, as local media have reported thousands of arrests and rights groups have estimated up to 20,000 people have been detained. On Sunday, Iran’s judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir reiterated that swift trials would be held, warning that some acts warranted the capital offence of “moharebeh”, or “waging war against God”. “All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared,” he said.Alarm has grown over the threat of capital punishment against arrested protesters, even as Trump said Iran had called off hundreds of executions. Analyst Arif Keskin cast doubt on Trump’s claim, saying “the Iranian leadership sees executions… as an effective tool to end protests, prevent them and suppress them”.”For the regime, executions will carry short-term international costs but are seen as a long-term investment in domestic security,” the Ankara-based Iranian researcher and Middle East specialist told AFP. “The risk therefore remains very real.” burs-sw/amj

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country’s north and east.The agreement, which will also see the Kurdish administration and forces integrate into the state, marks a blow for the minority, which has long held ambitions of preserving the de facto autonomy they had exercised over areas they held for over a decade.It comes after deadly clashes in the Syrian city of Raqa on Sunday between Kurdish-led forces and local fighters loyal to Damascus.The deal follows months of stalled negotiations between authorities and the Kurds on integrating their administration and forces into the central government.Sharaa announced the ceasefire to reporters on Sunday, saying he had been scheduled to meet the chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, but it was postponed until Monday due to poor weather.”In order to calm the situation, we decided to sign the agreement,” Sharaa said. Government forces this weekend captured the strategic city of Tabqa in the Raqa region as well as the Euphrates Dam, and have advanced into parts of Deir Ezzor province, including the Al-Omar oil field, the country’s largest. That followed advances in Aleppo province.Clashes reached Raqa city on Sunday, with state media saying SDF gunfire killed two civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor meanwhile reported fighting between the SDF and “local Arab tribal fighters” there.Sharaa met in Damascus on Sunday with US envoy Tom Barrack, who called the deal with the Kurds a “pivotal inflection point”.The Syrian presidency published the text of the 14-point agreement, which includes integrating the SDF and Kurdish security forces into Syria’s defence and interior ministries and the immediate handover of Kurdish-run Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces to the government.It will also see Damascus take responsibility for Islamic State group prisoners and their families held in Kurdish-run jails and camps. Sharaa had on Friday issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition, but the Kurds said the announcement fell short of their expectations.On the ground, an AFP correspondent on Raqa’s outskirts reported hearing gunfire on Sunday and said government forces brought reinforcements and were combing parts of the city.- ‘Opening the door’ -The SDF suddenly withdrew “from all areas under its control in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oil fields”, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.He said the movements in Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces came as “fighters from local tribes, including Arab fighters who are part of the SDF, advanced in coordination with government troops”.The government has also said it retook the Safyan and Al-Tharwa oil fields in Raqa province.Its push has captured Arab-majority areas that came under Kurdish control during the fight against IS.Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the return of the area’s resources to state control “means opening the door wide for reconstruction, revitalising agriculture, energy and trade”. The army has also announced its control of the Euphrates Dam near Tabqa, a key water and energy facility that includes one of Syria’s largest hydroelectric power stations.An AFP correspondent saw armoured vehicles and tanks around Tabqa, with security personnel patrolling the streets.Shops were closed, but some residents milled outside their homes, lighting fires to keep warm.Resident Ahmad Hussein told AFP that people were afraid, adding: “We have suffered a lot, and I hope that the situation will improve with the arrival of the Syrian army.”Near the dam, an AFP photographer saw residents destroying a statue honouring a woman who fought with Kurdish forces and who was killed by IS during the battle for Raqa city.- ‘Killing must stop’ -Deir Ezzor province said all public institutions were closed on Sunday and urged people to stay home.The Kurdish forces’ withdrawal came after Barrack met Syrian Kurdish leader Abdi in Erbil on Saturday, and the US Central Command urged government forces “to cease any offensive actions” between Aleppo and Tabqa.The United States has long supported the Kurdish forces, but it also backs Syria’s new Islamist authorities. In Qamishli, the main Kurdish city in Syria’s northeast, hundreds of residents demonstrated Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, chanting slogans including “we will defend our heroes”.Muhayeddine Hassan, 48, said that “we want a democracy that represents all Syrians”.If Sharaa “wants equality… the killing must stop”, he said.burs-lar/lg/axn/jsa

Iranian authorities have said they are considering “gradually” restoring internet access after imposing an unprecedented communications shutdown 10 days ago, which rights groups say masked a violent protest crackdown that killed thousands.  Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots” and blamed foreign influence, namely from Iran’s foes the United States and Israel. The rallies subsided after the crackdown that rights groups have called a “massacre” carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity. Government officials have said calm has been restored, with schools reopening on Sunday — Iran’s weekend falling on Thursday and Friday — after a week of closure. Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported “the relevant authorities announced that internet access would also be gradually restored”, but gave no further details. Citing an unnamed “informed source”, the agency said local messaging applications “will soon be activated” on Iran’s domestic intranet. On Sunday morning, AFP was able to connect to the internet from its Tehran office, though the vast majority of internet providers and mobile internet remain cut.Outgoing international calls have been possible since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday morning. For days, text messages and international phone calls — and at times even local calls — were cut off. Iran has since been relying on its intranet, which has supported local media websites, ride-hailing apps, delivery service and banking platforms. – ‘Overwhelmed’ -Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups.Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days. They showed “that security forces have been relentlessly firing at protesters from the streets and from elevated positions” and that hospitals had been “overwhelmed with the injured” in a “massacre of protesters”, said Amnesty’s Iran researcher Raha Bahreini in a video posted online. Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic’s health and medical system, eyewitnesses and multiple independent sources.However, the NGO warns the true toll is likely far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll for the protests.Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 — and possibly as high as 20,000 — though the internet blackout has severely hampered independent verification, IHR says.The opposition Iran International channel based outside the country has said at least 12,000 people were killed during the protests, citing senior government and security sources.Iran’s judiciary has rejected that figure.On Saturday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “a few thousand” people had been killed by what he called “agents” of the United States and Israel, and Iranian local media has reported multiple deaths among security forces.Khamenei said authorities “must break the back of the seditionists”, as local media has reported thousands of arrests and rights groups have estimated up to 20,000 people have been detained. – ‘Not be spared’ -On Sunday, Iran’s judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir reiterated that swift trials would be held, warning that some acts were tantamount to the capital offence of “moharebeh”, or “waging war against God”. “All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared,” he said.Alarm has grown over the threat of capital punishment against arrested protesters, even as Donald Trump said Iran had called off hundreds of executions. The US president, who backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, had repeatedly threatened new military action against Tehran if protesters were killed. Analyst Arif Keskin cast doubt on Trump’s claim, saying “the Iranian leadership sees executions… as an effective tool to end protests, prevent them, and suppress them”.”For the regime, executions will carry short-term international costs but are seen as a long-term investment in domestic security,” the Ankara-based Iranian researcher and Middle East specialist told AFP. “The risk therefore remains very real.” burs-sw/jfx

Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oil field, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east.The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority across Syria after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.The Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration, which controls large parts of the northeast, has said the announcement fell short, while the implementation of a deal to integrate Kurdish forces into the state has been stalled for months.Early Sunday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) suddenly withdrew “from all areas under its control in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oil fields”, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.He said the SDF withdrawal in Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces came as “fighters from local tribes, including Arab fighters who are part of the SDF, advanced in coordination with government troops”.The areas are now effectively controlled by government forces, the Observatory said.Al-Omar is the country’s largest oil field, and was home to the United States’ largest base in Syria. It had been controlled by Kurdish-led forces since 2017 after the Islamic State jihadist group was pushed out.The Kurds’ reported withdrawal from Al-Omar follows the government’s announcement that it had retaken two other oil fields, Safyan and Al-Tharwa, in Raqa province.- ‘Opening the door’ -The government’s push has so far captured Arab-majority areas that came under Kurdish control during the fight against IS, whose defeat in Syria was secured with the help of the US-backed SDF.Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the return of the area’s resources to state control “means opening the door wide for reconstruction, revitalising agriculture, energy and trade”. Government troops drove Kurdish forces from two Aleppo neighbourhoods following clashes last week, and on Saturday captured an area east of the city, as well as Tabqa, in Raqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates.The army also announced its control of the Euphrates Dam, adjacent to Tabqa.The key water and energy facility includes one of Syria’s largest hydroelectric power stations.A security source on the ground in Tabqa told AFP that security forces and the army were combing neighbourhoods after the SDF pullout.An AFP correspondent saw armoured vehicles and tanks around the city, with security personnel patrolling the streets.Intermittent gunfire could be heard from what one security officer said were limited clashes with the SDF.Shops were closed, but some residents milled outside their homes, lighting fires to keep warm.One resident, Ahmad Hussein, told AFP that people were afraid.”We have suffered a lot, and I hope that the situation will improve with the arrival of the Syrian army,” he said.Near the dam, an AFP photographer saw residents destroying a statue honouring a woman who fought with Kurdish forces and who was killed by IS during the battle for Raqa city.The city was the jihadists’ main stronghold at the height of its reign across swathes of Syria from 2014 to 2019.- ‘Killing must stop’ -Syrian authorities accused the SDF of blowing up two key bridges across the Euphrates River in Raqa province.The Kurdish administration accused government forces of attacking their fighters “on multiple fronts” while the army said the SDF was not fulfilling a commitment to “fully withdraw” east of the river.The Deir Ezzor province said all public institutions were closed on Sunday and urged people to stay home.The Kurdish forces’ withdrawal came after US envoy Tom Barrack met Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi in Erbil on Saturday, and the US Central Command urged government forces “to cease any offensive actions” between Aleppo and Tabqa.The United States has long supported the Kurdish forces, but it has also backed Syria’s new Islamist authorities. Damascus ally Turkey has praised Syria’s operation, but imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, “sees this situation (in Syria) as an attempt to sabotage” the unfolding peace process between his group and the Turkish state, a delegation said after visiting him on Saturday.In Qamishli, the main Kurdish city in the country’s northeast, hundreds of residents demonstrated on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, chanting slogans including “we will defend our heroes”.Muhayeddine Hassan, 48, said that “we want a democracy that represents all Syrians”.If Sharaa “wants equality… the killing must stop”, he said.burs-lar/lg/jfx

Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oil field, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east.The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority over all of Syria after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.The Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration, which controls large parts of the northeast, has said the announcement fell short, and the implementation of a deal to integrate Kurdish forces into the state has been stalled for months.Government troops drove Kurdish forces from two Aleppo neighbourhoods following clashes last week, and on Saturday announced they had captured an area east of the city, as well as Tabqa, in Raqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates.At dawn on Sunday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew “from all areas under its control in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oil fields”, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.Al-Omar is the country’s largest oil field, and was home to the United States’ largest base in Syria. The Kurds’ reported withdrawal there follows the government’s announcement that it had retaken two other oil fields, Safyan and Al-Tharwa, in Raqa province.An AFP correspondent in Tabqa saw government armoured vehicles and tanks around the city, with security personnel patrolling the streets.Intermittent gunfire could be heard from what one security officer said were limited clashes with the SDF.Shops in the city were closed, but some residents milled around outside their homes, lighting fires to keep warm.One resident, Ahmad Hussein, told AFP that “people are afraid, but we hope that things will improve over the coming few days”. “We have suffered a lot, and I hope that the situation will improve with the arrival of the Syrian army,” he added.- ‘Betrayal’ -The government’s push has so far captured Arab-majority areas that had come under Kurdish control during the fight against the Islamic State group, whose defeat in Syria was secured with the help of the US-backed SDF.Both the government and the Kurdish forces have reported several casualties in clashes that broke out after an agreement for the Kurds to pull back from areas near Aleppo to the east of the Euphrates collapsed.Both sides traded blame for violating the deal.The Kurdish administration on Sunday accused government forces of attacking their fighters “on multiple fronts” while the army said the SDF was not fulfilling a commitment to “fully withdraw” east of the river.Kurdish authorities ordered a curfew in the Raqa region after the army designated a swathe of territory southwest of the Euphrates a “closed military zone”.Deir Ezzor governor Ghassan Alsayed Ahmed said on Saturday that the SDF fired rockets at neighbourhoods in government-controlled territory, while the SDF said pro-government forces attacked its positions in several towns on the east bank of the Euphrates.The Deir Ezzor governorate announced on Sunday that “all public institutions and official departments are closed today”, and urged “people to stay at home”.- Calls for de-escalation -The United States has long supported the Kurdish forces, but it has also backed Syria’s new Islamist authorities. US envoy Tom Barrack met Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi in Erbil on Saturday, the presidency of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region said, and the US Central Command urged government forces “to cease any offensive actions” between Aleppo and Tabqa.France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, called for de-escalation and a ceasefire.Turkey, which is close to the new Syrian authorities and views Kurdish fighters in Syria as a security threat affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has praised Syria’s operation.But imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has led the unfolding peace process between his group and the Turkish state, “sees this situation (in Syria) as an attempt to sabotage” that process, a delegation said after visiting him in jail on Saturday.Kurdish authorities called for demonstrations on Sunday in several places including Qamishli, their main city in the northeast. burs-lar/smw/jfx

Syria’s army has seized swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade.The government appeared to be extending its grip on Kurdish-run areas after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a “national language” and granting the minority group official recognition.The Kurds have said Friday’s announcement fell short of their aspirations, while the implementation of a March deal — intended to see Kurdish forces integrated into the state — has stalled.Government troops drove Kurdish forces from two Aleppo neighbourhoods last week and on Saturday took control of an area east of the city.On Sunday, the government announced the capture of Tabqa, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) west of Raqa.”The Syrian army controls the strategic city of Tabqa in the Raqqa countryside, including the Euphrates Dam, which is the largest dam in Syria,” said Information Minister Hamza Almustafa, according to the official SANA news agency.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), however, said they had “taken the necessary measures to restore security and stability” in Tabqa.In Deir Hafer, some 50 kilometres east of Aleppo city, an AFP correspondent saw several SDF fighters leaving the town and residents returning under heavy army presence.Syria’s army said four soldiers had been killed, while Kurdish forces reported several fighters dead. Both sides traded blame for violating a withdrawal deal.Kurdish authorities ordered a curfew in the Raqa region after the army designated a swathe of territory southwest of the Euphrates River a “closed military zone”, warning it would target what it said were several military sites.The SANA news agency reported Sunday that the SDF destroyed two bridges over the Euphrates in Raqa city, which lies on the eastern bank of the river.Raqa’s media directorate separately accused the SDF of cutting off Raqa city’s water supply by blowing up the main water pipes.Deir Ezzor governor Ghassan Alsayed Ahmed said on social media that the SDF fired “rocket projectiles” at neighbourhoods in government-controlled territories in the city centre of Deir Ezzor, Al-Mayadin, and other areas.The SDF said “factions affiliated with the Damascus government attacked our forces’ positions” and caused clashes in several towns on the east bank of the Euphrates, opposite Al-Mayadin and which lie between Deir Ezzor and the Iraqi border.- ‘Betrayed’ -On Friday, Syrian Kurdish leader and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi had committed to redeploying his forces from outside Aleppo to east of the Euphrates. But the SDF said Saturday that Damascus had “violated the recent agreements and betrayed our forces”, with clashes erupting with troops south of Tabqa. The army urged the SDF to “immediately fulfil its announced commitments and fully withdraw” east of the river.The SDF controls swathes of Syria’s oil‑rich north and northeast, areas captured during the civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade. US envoy Tom Barrack met Abdi in Erbil on Saturday, the presidency of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region said.While Washington has long supported Kurdish forces, it has also backed Syria’s new authorities. US Central Command on Saturday urged Syrian government forces “to cease any offensive actions in the areas between Aleppo and al‑Tabqa”.France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, also called for de-escalation and a ceasefire.- Presidential decree -Sharaa’s announcement on Friday marked the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since Syria’s independence in 1946.The decree stated that Kurds are “an essential and integral part” of Syria, where they have suffered decades of marginalisation. It made Kurdish a “national language” and granted nationality to all Kurds — around 20 percent of whom were stripped of it under a controversial 1962 census.The Kurdish administration in Syria’s northeast said the decree was “a first step” but “does not satisfy the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people.In Qamishli, the main Kurdish city in the country’s northeast, Shebal Ali, 35, told AFP that “we want constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people’s rights”. Nanar Hawach, senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the decree “offers cultural concessions while consolidating military control”. “It does not address the northeast’s calls for self-governance,” he said. Also Saturday, the US military said a strike in northwest Syria had killed a militant linked to a deadly attack on three Americans last month.burs-jj/acb/abs/jfx