10 h. ago ISIS bride Shamima Begum has 'bags packed' as she bides time to escape jihadi camp

Shamima Begum continues to be held at a detention camp for ISIS brides and their children as Syrian government forces push into regions controlled by Kurdish forces

Events

3 d. ago Syrian and Kurdish forces agree to extend ceasefire as threat of war looms

Ceasefire to be extended for one month to allow transfer of suspected Islamic State members from Syria to IraqThe Syrian government and Kurdish forces agreed to extend a ceasefire on Saturday, according to Syrian diplomatic sources, temporarily staving off a looming war between the two sides in Syria’s northeast.Diplomatic sources told Agence France-Presse the ceasefire would be extended for “a period of up to one month at most,” citing the need to facilitate the transfer of suspected members of Islamic State from Syria to Iraq. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago The Guardian view on Syria’s crisis: Islamic State fighters are not the only concern | Editorial

As a lightning government offensive leaves the Kurdish-dominated SDF reeling, the political horizon needs attention as well as securityIn little more than a fortnight, a dramatic Syrian government offensive appears to have undone over a decade of Kurdish self-rule in the north-east and extended President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s control. The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held around a quarter of the country and many critical resources – but were forced out of much of it within days. Though the SDF has effectively agreed to dissolution in principle, it has not shown it will do so in practice: a worrying sign for a fragile truce. A peaceful resolution is in everyone’s interests. Forcible integration by Damascus would risk breeding insurgency.The US relied upon the SDF in the battle against Islamic State. But Donald Trump has embraced “attractive, tough” Mr Sharaa – a former jihadist who had a $10m US bounty on his head until late 2024. The US administration became increasi...

Events

4 d. ago Syrian forces take control of prison housing IS members after Kurdish fighters evacuate

Syria's government forces have taken control of a prison housing Islamic State group members in the country's north

Events

7 d. ago Detention facilities in Syria under spotlight after clashes between Kurdish fighters, Syrian forces

Recent fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria has highlighted the detention facilities holding Islamic State group members

Politics

7 d. ago ISIS fanatics could be freed in their thousands as Syria conflict rages

Fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish troops threatens to free thousands of Islamic State prisoners in a major lone-wolf terror threat to the west including Britain

Events

7 d. ago Manhunt after 120 Islamic State members escape from Syrian prison amid clashes

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces control more than a dozen prisons where some 9,000 IS members are held

Events

8 d. ago Dozens of IS prisoners freed in Syria amid clashes between army and Kurdish

It remains unclear who freed prisoners, with both sides blaming the other, as Syria’s president looks to gain control of north-east and consolidate his ruleDozens of inmates from a jail holding Islamic State prisoners have been freed in Syria amid clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government-affiliated forces in the north-east of the country.Videos released by the SDF showed what it said were IS members being broken out from a jail in Shaddadi by figures in black balaclavas. It said it had lost control of the building after an attack by government-affiliated fighters that killed or wounded dozens. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Syrian government forces clash with Kurdish fighters as IS prisoners escape

Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters have clashed around two prisons i housing members of the Islamic State group in Syria’s northeast

Events

8 d. ago Syria president claims ‘victory for all’ as ceasefire with Kurdish

Government’s truce with Syrian Democratic Forces follows advance on Kurdish-held areas amid struggle to control entire countryThe Syrian government on Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the north-east for over a decade.The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push by government forces towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Syrian government seizes strategic town in Raqqa from Kurdish forces in an ongoing push eastward

Government forces have seized a strategic town in eastern Syria, intensifying their push against Kurdish-led forces east of the Euphrates River

Politics

1 week ago Photos show Syrians returning home following clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters

Displaced Syrians returned to the city of Aleppo after clashes between government forces and the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month forced them to move to neighboring towns.

Culture

1 week ago Syrian government forces enter northern towns after Kurdish fighters withdraw

Syrian government forces have entered a northern town after Kurdish-led fighters decided to evacuate

Politics

2 w. ago Syrian army declares a closed military zone east of Aleppo as tensions rise with Kurds

The Syrian army has declared an area east of Aleppo a "closed military zone," signaling potential escalation with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

Events

2 w. ago Syrian forces expel Kurdish fighters as US strikes Islamic State targets

Three hundred Kurds detained and further 400 evacuated following clashes in AleppoSyrian government forces have detained 300 Kurds and evacuated more than 400 Kurdish fighters after clashes in Aleppo, the interior ministry has said, as US and allied forces carried out separate “large-scale” strikes against Islamic State targets.An interior ministry official told Agence France-Presse that about 360 Kurdish fighters and 60 wounded had been bussed to the Kurds’ de facto autonomous zone in the north-east from the Sheikh Maqsoud district, the last area of Aleppo to fall to the army. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Syrian security forces enter Aleppo neighborhood after clashes with Kurdish fighters

Syrian security forces have deployed in Aleppo after intense clashes with Kurdish fighters

Events

2 w. ago Syria announces ceasefire in Aleppo after three days of clashes with Kurds

US envoy welcomes pause in hostilities in contested region although it is unclear whether deal will holdSyria’s government has announced a ceasefire after three days of clashes with Kurdish fighters in Aleppo, which has led to more than 140,000 people being displaced.The pause in the fighting, which was the most intense in the country for more than six months, came into effect at 3am local time (midnight GMT). Under the terms of the ceasefire, Kurdish militants were to leave the three contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid, where clashes were happening. They would be provided safe passage to the north-east of the country, which is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and be allowed to take light arms with them. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Syrian army orders Aleppo evacuations amid fighting with Kurdish forces

People told to leave three areas as fears grow of wider conflict between government and Kurdish authoritiesThe Syrian army ordered civilians to evacuate neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Thursday after fighting with Kurdish forces entered its third day, deepening the rift between the Syrian government and the US-backed Kurdish authorities in Syria.The Syrian government urged people to leave the three contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid by early afternoon, opening humanitarian corridors and displacement shelters to facilitate their exit. The Syrian army said it would begin military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the deadline, and issued maps showing specific areas that needed to be evacuated. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago New deadly clashes between Syrian forces and Kurdish fighters erupt in Aleppo

The deadliest clashes so far have erupted between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo

Events