Syrian defence minister and SDF commander approve immediate ceasefire, ministry says

Oct 7, 2025

Syria's new defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra attends an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria January 19, 2025. REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar — Yamam Al Shaar

(Reuters) -Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and SDF commander General Mazloum Abdi agreed on Tuesday to a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts in north and northeastern Syria, the defence ministry said.

The truce is effective immediately, the ministry added.

Recent clashes between the two sides have cast a shadow over a landmark deal signed in March between the Kurdish-led SDF and Syria's new Islamist-led government to integrate the regional force into state institutions.

The deal aimed to help stitch together a country fractured by 14 years of civil war and pave the way for Kurdish-led forces that hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with regional Kurdish governing bodies.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir; editing by Aidan Lewis and Mark Heinrich)

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