The Syrian government has announced an immediate nationwide ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country. The ceasefire ends nearly two weeks of fighting and forms part of a broader 14-point agreement that will see the SDF integrated into Syria’s military and state institutions. Speaking in Damascus, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the deal would allow Syrian state institutions to reassert control over three eastern and northern governorates. It follows a meeting between al-Sharaa and the US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, in Damascus.

Barrack praised the agreement as a step toward a unified Syria. With US military support, the SDF drove ISIS from northeastern Syria and went on to govern both Kurdish and Arab-majority areas. The agreement also reaffirms Syria’s participation in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State.