Life slowly returns to normal in Syria’s Raqqa after SDF driven out

ISTANBUL

Life began to gradually return to normal in the Syrian city of Raqqa in the country’s northeast on Tuesday after the terrorist group YPG/SDF was driven out, with security forces deploying across the city, according to Syrian media.

Alikhbariya TV reported that security forces have been deployed across major streets in Raqqa to reinforce security and stability.

The channel aired a video showing security personnel stationed throughout the city as cars and pedestrians moved along the streets, signaling a gradual return to daily life after the SDF elements were pushed out.

The Syrian Army took control of Raqqa early Monday after reaching the province’s administrative borders late Saturday, following operations that forced out the SDF, which had controlled the area since 2017 with US backing.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire agreement with the SDF late Sunday to integrate its members into state institutions.

Under the deal, the SDF will withdraw its military formations east of the Euphrates River and hand over administrative and security control of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces to the Syrian state.

The agreement also provides for the integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Syrian ministries of defense and interior following individual security vetting, as well as the transfer of border crossings, oil and gas fields, and civilian institutions to government control.

The deal followed a military operation launched by the Syrian Army, through which it regained wide areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated violations by the SDF of earlier agreements signed with Damascus nearly a year ago.

Despite the new ceasefire agreement, SDF members clashed Monday with Syrian army forces in several locations across Raqqa and Hasakah provinces.

The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

The SDF had previously failed to implement a March 10, 2025, agreement with Damascus for the group’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

The Syrian government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2024, after 24 years in power.