US military negotiated SDF withdrawal from Syria's Raqqa prison
Syrian government forces took full control of Raqqa after hundreds of SDF fighters were evacuated to Kobani under US-negotiated safe passage.
WASHINGTON — Syrian government forces took full control of the city of Raqqa on Friday after convoys carrying hundreds of fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were evacuated to Kobani, a Syrian town near the Turkish border.
Safe passage for as many as 800 SDF fighters, most who had consolidated at the al-Aqtan prison, was negotiated via senior US military officials, multiple sources in the region told Al-Monitor, ending a five-day standoff around the facility.
"With the support of the international coalition, we have completed the transfer of our fighters assigned to securing the al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa," the SDF said in a statement Friday.
The deal was aimed at calming the violence between the two sides and to avert a potential hostage situation in Raqqa ahead of an anticipated end to the current ceasefire on Saturday. That deadline, imposed by the Syrian government, has been informally extended under pressure from US officials, Al-Monitor previously reported.
