Syrian Army Refuses To Withdraw From Raqqa After Ceasefire With SDF

After days of intense fighting in the southeastern Raqqa countryside around Maadan, Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to de-escalate and observe a ceasefire.

“Both parties vowed to ensure displaced people can return, to combat remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, to reject attempts to divide or sow discord, and to fully implement the agreement by the end of the year”

Al-Jazeera Net

They halted artillery strikes and mutual targeting following a meeting that local pro-government sources and a German news agency said was coordinated with the international coalition.

Al-Jazeera Net

Reports describe recent clashes that involved infiltrations, shelling with heavy and medium weapons, and drone strikes.

The violence produced dead and wounded on both sides and prompted calls to adhere to the March 10 agreement.

The Syrian army publicly refused SDF calls to withdraw from positions that the SDF said it had seized.

Government sources say pro-government forces retook those positions after counterattacks.

Al-Jazeera Net

State and pro-government reports blame the SDF for staging an assault and cite soldier casualties—many mention two killed and several wounded—while local SDF statements say strikes hit positions used to launch ISIS drones.

The SDF stated that its actions were defensive.

“The German news agency reported that the Syrian government forces agreed with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) yesterday, Friday, to cease escalation in the southeastern Raqqa countryside in the northeast of the country”

Al-Jazeera Net

It told international agencies and local outlets it had targeted positions allegedly used by ISIS to launch drones at SDF forces.

The SDF also said it was responding to ISIS activity in the nearby desert.

Several sources relay the SDF's claims that its operations were aimed at countering ISIS rather than initiating an offensive against the Syrian army.

Observers and regional outlets place the clashes in a broader political context.

The incidents come months after a March 10 agreement between Damascus and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi to integrate parts of the SDF into state structures and transfer control of oil, gas and crossings, a deal whose implementation remains disputed.

Anadolu Agency

While Al-Jazeera and وكالة صدى نيوز stress adherence to that March agreement in calls for calm, thenationalnews highlights ongoing political friction over decentralisation and Abdi’s insistence on local governance, which Damascus rejects.

State and pro-government media commonly report two soldiers killed and multiple wounded, while monitoring groups and some outlets report higher tolls.

“Syria’s state TV El-İhbariyye reported on 20 Nov 2025 that the PKK/YPG (operating as the SDF) attacked Syrian army positions in the Madaan district of eastern Raqqa, triggering intense clashes and an army artillery response; local sources say several Syrian soldiers were killed”

Haberler

Al Jazeera and local sources also quote allegations that the dead were mutilated, though that claim is not universally repeated.

Haberler

The variation in casualty counts and the presence or absence of graphic allegations illustrate how different source types, including state media, regional outlets, international wire services and monitoring groups, prioritise different details.