Syrian army moves SDF out of Raqqa prison under mediated deal

DAMASCUS

Syrian government forces stand guard outside Al-Aqtan prison on the outskirts of Raqqa, northeastern Syria.

Syria said early Friday that government forces had begun transferring Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from a prison in the north where they had been holding ISIL terror group detainees, as part of a weekend agreement.

Syrian state television reported that the transfer of SDF members has begun "after five days of negotiations with the Syrian state."

They will go to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province on the northern border with Türkiye "according to the security arrangements agreed upon by both parties", it reported.

Syrian units and security institutions would take full control of al-Aqtan Prison, including sections holding ISIL detainees, with prisoners to be managed under Syrian law, it added.

The withdrawal involved about 800 SDF members and was designed to prevent escalation, enable a peaceful transfer of administrative and security authority and maintain stability in Raqqa, the statement said.

On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that had included a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurds' administration into the state,

On Wednesday, the United States said it had launched an operation that could see 7,000 ISIL detainees moved from Syria to Iraq, with 150 transferred so far.

The move follows the withdrawal of the SDF that had long secured detention camps, after Syrian government troops took control of territory in the north and northeast previously held by the SDF.

The developments came as Washington has for years backed the SDF as part of the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIL, but U.S. envoy Tom Barrack recently signaled a possible shift, saying the SDF’s role in combating the jihadist group “expired,” raising the prospect of a drawdown in U.S. support.