Kurds impose curfew in Syrian Kurdistan cities ahead of deal

Kurds impose curfew in Syrian Kurdistan cities before govt deal begins — Kurdish YPG/YPJ female security members in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), January 2026. Photo: iKurd.net/Rudaw TV video

QAMISHLO,— Syrian Kurdish security forces announced on Sunday that a daytime curfew will be imposed early on Monday in two major cities of Syrian Kurdistan, also known as Rojava or West Kurdistan, ahead of the planned rollout of a new political and security deal with Syria’s Islamist-led government in Damascus, the AFP reported.

The decision follows an agreement reached on Friday between Damascus and Kurdish authorities aimed at gradually folding Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.

The deal came after Kurdish forces withdrew from several areas in recent weeks as government troops advanced.

General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces SDF, said the agreement would begin taking effect on the ground on Monday.

He stated that both sides would pull back their forces from frontline positions in parts of northeastern Syria and around the Kurdish town of Kobane in the north.

Abdi said that a limited Syrian government internal security force would enter selected districts of Hasaka and Qamishlo but stressed that no Syrian government military units would move into any Kurdish city or town.

Kurdish security officials declared a curfew in Hasaka from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time on Monday. A similar curfew will be enforced in Qamishlo on Tuesday during the same hours. Authorities said the measures were necessary to maintain security, stability, and public safety.

A Kurdish security source told AFP that a delegation from the Syrian government’s security services visited Kurdish security headquarters in Qamishlo on Sunday as part of coordination efforts linked to the new arrangement.

The text of the Friday agreement keeps an existing ceasefire in place while outlining a process for the gradual integration of Kurdish forces and administrative bodies into state structures. I

t reportedly included several Kurdish demands, including the creation of special brigades made up of SDF fighters to operate in Kurdish-majority regions.

For Kurdish leaders, the government’s push to expand its authority across Syria marked a major setback.

Since the height of the civil war, Kurdish forces had enjoyed de facto self-rule over large parts of northern and northeastern Syria after defeating Islamic State militants with backing from a U.S.-led coalition.

On Sunday in Qamishlo, thousands of Kurds gathered in the streets in a large public show of unity. Men, women, and children waved Kurdish flags and held portraits of fallen fighters who had been killed in past battles.

The United States, which had long partnered with the SDF against Islamic State, recently said its strategic alliance with Kurdish forces was largely complete following political changes in Damascus.

Kobane, located in Aleppo province more than 200 kilometers from Syrian Kurdistan, remains surrounded by the Turkish border to the north and Syrian Islamist government positions on other sides.

The town became internationally known in 2015 when Kurdish fighters broke a prolonged siege by Islamic State militants, turning it into a powerful symbol of resistance.

On Saturday, humanitarian organizations and a Turkish opposition lawmaker said Turkish authorities blocked a convoy carrying aid to Kobane from crossing the border into Syria.

(With files from AFP)