Syrian government troops kept up their dizzying advance against the Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday, gaining nearly full control of Raqqa, the erstwhile capital of the Islamic State, which was seized almost nine years ago by the Kurdish-led militia with the help of the United States.

Hours later, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced what amounted to the effective capitulation of the Kurdish-led militia that is widely viewed as having some of the toughest and bravest women and male fighters in the region. Syrian state media published an image of Sharaa holding the text of an agreement whose terms broadly favor Damascus, according to images of the text circulated online. The agreement is said to have been endorsed by the SDF commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, who was meant to have traveled to Damascus today to sign the document in the presence of the US Syria envoy Tom Barrack. Kobane is said to have ultimately signed the document remotely, rather than in person in Damascus.

In a post on X, Barrack commended the sides for their “constructive efforts” and for “paving the way for renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria.” 

“Two great Syrian leaders, driven by the shared visions of liberating their country and people from tyranny, have now come together to forge a brighter future for all Syrians,” Barrack noted.

The United States commends the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their constructive efforts in reaching today’s ceasefire agreement, paving the way for renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria.

Two great Syrian leaders, driven by the…

The SDF commander had not publicly commented on the accord as of the time of publication of this article. If anything, the visions of the two men could not be further apart. Sharaa insists on a tightly centralized model of government. The Kurds have been campaigning to preserve their autonomous civilian and military structures consolidated over nearly 14 years of US-protected self rule. Sharaa is an Islamist, whereas Kobane and the SDF are determinedly secular and actively promote gender equality.

The........

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