Sharaa's forces enter Qamishlo under agreement with Kurds

Sharaas forces enter Qamishlo under agreement with Syrias Kurds — Members of Syrian government Islamist forces make provocative gestures imitating ISIS fighters toward a female Kurdish YPJ/YPG fighter as they enter the Kurdish city of Qamishlo in Rojava, Syrian Kurdistan, on February 3, 2026. Photo: iKurd.net/X

QAMISHLO,— Syrian government Islamist forces began entering Qamishlo, the main Kurdish city in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), on Tuesday as part of an integration agreement reached with Kurdish authorities last week, state media reported.

The move followed the deployment of security personnel in the Kurdish-majority city of Hasaka in Syrian Kurdistan and the surrounding countryside of of the Kurdish town of Kobane on Monday, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

The steps are part of a wider plan to gradually bring Kurdish forces and institutions under state control.

SANA reported that “a convoy of internal security forces began entering the city of Qamishlo.” Armored vehicles and personnel were seen moving toward the outskirts of the city, which has long served as the main center for the Kurdish autonomous administration.

Kurdish authorities imposed a curfew on Qamishlo until 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, to “maintain security, stability, and the safety of residents.”

Shops remained closed and streets were mostly empty, with only Kurdish security forces on patrol. Kurdish flags and banners were displayed across the city.

Kurdish forces have handed over control of certain areas to advancing government troops in recent weeks after months of tensions and sporadic clashes.

Marwan al-Ali, newly appointed head of internal security in Hasaka province, said the government convoy included a limited number of personnel and vehicles. He added that Kurdish forces would be gradually integrated into the interior ministry.

The agreement, signed on Friday, aims to “unify Syrian territory,” including Kurdish areas, while maintaining a ceasefire and allowing the gradual integration of Kurdish security forces and administrative institutions, according to the text of the deal.

The deal represents a setback for the Kurds, who have sought to preserve the de facto autonomy they established in Syrian Kurdistan after capturing large areas in northern and northeastern Syria during campaigns against the Islamic State.

An empty street in the Kurdish city of Qamishlo as Kurdish authorities impose a curfew, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), February 3, 2026. Photo: ANF

General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, said the agreement would begin implementation Monday.

Both sides would pull back forces from front-line positions in parts of the northeast, including Kobane.

He stressed that a “limited internal security force” would enter sections of Hasaka and Qamishlo but “no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town.”

The United States, which had supported Kurdish forces against IS, has recently moved closer to Syria’s new Islamist authorities. U.S. officials said the military alliance with Kurdish forces has largely ended, signaling a shift in the region’s strategic landscape.

(With files from AFP)