Amid vicious fighting between a Kurdish armed group and the Syrian Army, Raqqa looks set to become the next major northern region to be liberated by Damascus-led forces as Kurdish fighters fall back in disarray.
Government-backed tribal forces in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, east of the Euphrates River, have reportedly fully captured an area containing major oil and natural gas fields from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces also known as the YPG or SDF.
Heavy clashes are reported in areas east of Deir Az Zor as the military says its forces are in full control of Deir Hafer, have captured the Jarrah airbase to the east, and are in the process of clearing mines and explosives.
The recent fighting come after months of negotiations between the government in Damascus, headed by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and the Kurdish armed faction which has ruled over a sizeable area of norther Syria following the collapse of the state during the Syrian civil war.
Damascus had pushed for the Kurdish group to disband and integrate itself into the official Syrian army as well as returning all the regions under their rule to the control of the Syrian state.
However, negotiations failed to produce results leading to the decisive action by Damascus to restore central government control via military force.
There are additional practical aspect as to why Damascus would want to take control back from the SDF in areas such as Raqqa and Deir Az Zor.
There are big oil-and-gas fields in these areas, and Syrian forces there are struggling not just for territory and land but for a stake in the country’s economic future.
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The SDF is caught between a tactical retreat and phased withdrawal from territory it reportedly has agreed to hand over to government forces during the rapid gains made by its military east of Aleppo.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, affiliated with the SDF, has accused the Syrian government of violating a withdrawal agreement, saying it “attacked our forces on multiple fronts since yesterday morning.”
“Despite all efforts to find peaceful solutions and demonstrate good faith by withdrawing from some areas, Damascus insists on continuing the fighting and pursuing the military option,” the administration said in a statement.
“Therefore, we call upon our people to be vigilant, to adopt the principle of self-defence, to stand with their military forces, to protect their cities, and to join the battle to defend their dignity.”
The group encouraged young people in particular “to arm themselves and prepare to confront any potential attack in the Jazeera and Kobani regions.”
However, the SDF has been accused of committing crimes in the regions they have occupied in an attempt to force local populations to submit to their authority.
The Syrian government announced that the SDF carried out executions of detainees and prisoners in al-Tabqah, shortly before withdrawing from the city following the army’s advance early Sunday morning.
In a statement carried by SANA, the government said: “The Syrian government strongly condemns the actions of the SDF and groups affiliated with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in executing detainees and prisoners in the city of al-Tabqah in the countryside of Raqqa province, following their withdrawal from the city.”
“The execution of prisoners and detainees, particularly civilians among them, constitutes a fully fledged crime under the Geneva Conventions and represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
“This criminal behaviour reflects the militia-like nature of the SDF and its methods of taking civilians and prisoners as hostages,” the statement added.
Syria’s special decree
On Friday, Syrian President al-Sharaa issued a special decree, affirming that Kurdish Syrians are an integral part of the nation, and guaranteeing their cultural, linguistic, and civil rights, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The decree says that Kurdish citizens are a “basic and authentic” component of the Syrian people and that their cultural and linguistic identity is inseparable from Syria’s unified and diverse national identity.
It commits the state to protecting cultural and linguistic diversity and to safeguarding Kurds’ rights to preserve their heritage and art, along with developing their mother tongue within the framework of national sovereignty.
Under the decree, the Kurdish language is recognised as “a national language.” Teaching Kurdish will be permitted in public and private schools in areas with a significant Kurdish population, either as an optional subject or through cultural and educational activities.
The measure also repeals all exceptional laws and procedures stemming from the 1962 census in Hasakah province, and grants Syrian citizenship to all residents of Kurdish origin living in Syria, including those previously registered as stateless, ensuring full equality in rights and duties.
In a symbolic move, the decree designates the March 21 Nowruz Festival a paid official holiday nationwide, describing it as a national celebration of spring and social cohesion.
It further directs state media and educational institutions to adopt an inclusive national discourse, explicitly prohibiting discrimination or exclusion on ethnic or linguistic grounds. Incitement to ethnic strife will be punishable under existing law, the decree says.
Addressing Kurds directly, al-Sharaa said in a recorded message through US social media company X that equality among Syrians transcends ethnicity, declaring that “there is no superiority of Arab over Kurd, or Turk, or anyone else, except through righteousness and integrity, regardless of origin.”
“Our Kurdish people, descendants of Saladin, beware of believing claims that we seek harm against you. By God, whoever harms you is our adversary until the Day of Judgement. Your life is our life. We seek only the well-being of the country and its people, development, reconstruction and the unity of the nation,” Sharaa added.
The Syrian president urged those forcibly displaced to return home safely “without condition or restriction other than laying down arms.”
He called on Kurds to take part actively in building the country and preserving its unity, ending the address by displaying his signature on the decree.
