Syria Extends Ceasefire With Kurdish-Led SDF 15 Days, Backs U.S. Operation to Transfer Islamic State Prisoners

Syria ceasefire extension

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and some Syrian officials reported that a 15-day extension of a four-day ceasefire took effect at 11 p.m.

Both sides—or at least parts of the Syrian state—framed the pause as facilitating an ongoing U.S. operation to transfer Islamic State detainees to Iraq.

The SDF said the truce was reached through international mediation and pledged to respect its terms while talks continue.

Other Syrian government sources gave conflicting statements about the agreement.

This summary draws on the SDF’s announcement, comments from the Syrian defence ministry, and reporting that notes official denials.

Syria ceasefire reports

Both jpost and kurdistan24.net report that Syria’s defence ministry characterized the extension as intended to support U.S. operations transferring Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Kurdistan24.net adds that Turkey’s foreign minister backed keeping the ceasefire during prisoner transfers.

Kurdistan24.net also notes that Syria’s foreign ministry earlier said no extension had been agreed, underlining conflicting official Syrian messaging.

Al Jazeera, while detailing rapid government gains and the broader military context, stresses Damascus’s public denials of any extension and quotes Syrian officials saying they are 'considering their next options.'

Northern Syria update

The extension and its background come amid a rapid Syrian government advance in northern and eastern areas after a year-end deadline for Kurdish integration into the Syrian army passed without resolution.

jpost frames the moves as a consolidation of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s control and says the government had given the SDF until Saturday to disarm or integrate.

Al Jazeera lists recent seizures by government forces — oil fields, hydroelectric dams, facilities linked to ISIL and the al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa — and notes both sides are massing near front lines.

Kurdistan24.net says Reuters reported the SDF’s integration deadline may itself be extended and highlights a worsening humanitarian crisis in Kobani, with hospitals close to collapse from fuel and medical shortages.

Diplomatic pressure and troop movements

International actors and local forces have signaled mixed positions.

Jpost reports that Washington and Paris urged President Ahmed al-Sharaa not to attack remaining Kurdish-held areas over fears of renewed fighting and mass abuses, while Kurdistan24 reports that Turkey’s foreign minister backed retaining the ceasefire during prisoner transfers.

Al Jazeera reports movements of Syrian army vehicles and buses of fighters arriving near Hasakeh and says both sides have increased military preparations.

Together these accounts indicate external diplomatic pressure, regional support for a pause tied to detainee movements, and concurrent force buildups on the ground.

Contested SDF-Syria timeline

The picture remains contested and unclear: SDF statements and some Syrian defence messaging present a 15-day extension to facilitate detainee transfers and continued talks, while official Syrian statements cited by Al Jazeera publicly deny an extension and signal possible further action.

Kuridstan24.net points to internal Syrian ministerial contradiction (defence ministry vs. foreign ministry) and Reuters-sourced reporting that the SDF’s integration deadline may be extended.

Given these conflicting accounts, independent verification is limited in the supplied reports and the next steps hinge on whether international mediators and the U.S. operation proceed as described and how Damascus’s internal commands are reconciled.