Syria

Members of the Syrian government security forces stand guard as a group of detainees gather at al-Hol camp after the government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters Connect by Khalil Ashawi The U.S. envoy for Syria…

Why AL-Monitor? AL-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia. Live news & notifications…

Democracy Dies in Darkness Kurdish-led fighters have long guarded facilities holding Islamic State detainees or their families, after the caliphate the group tried to establish was defeated in 2019. January 20, 2026 A drone view of the Shaddadi prison in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, after Syria's government said detainees had…

Longtime U.S. allies say they have abandoned large prisons holding thousands of Islamic State group fighters and their families in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Tuesday it had redeployed from the al-Hol camp to nearby cities, blaming “international indifference” for the withdrawal. The move comes amid…

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Turkey's Kurds are hoping that Ankara's bid to end the decades-long PKK conflict won't be hurt by Damascus' lightning offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria that was backed by Turkey. A close ally of the new post Bashar al-Assad Syrian leadership, Ankara has been engaged in dialogue with the…

Why AL-Monitor? AL-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia. Live news & notifications…

By Ece Toksabay ANKARA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party said on Monday that the Turkish government had no more "excuses" to delay a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) now that a landmark integration deal was achieved in neighbouring Syria. On Sunday in Syria, the…

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President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) meets with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington in November. File Photo by Syrian Presidency/UPI | License Photo Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Syrian government and the Kurdish militia have reached a cease-fire agreement. The news came as the government seized…