Syria's Kurdish Ceasefire Expires as Army Seizes ISIS Prisons

The clock struck midnight on Syria's fragile ceasefire as government forces denied any extension to Kurdish fighters, leaving thousands of ISIS prisoners in Syrian army hands and the country's northeast hanging in the balance.

Syria's foreign ministry categorically rejected reports of extending the four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which expired Saturday night. "There is no truth to what is being circulated regarding the extension of the deadline with the SDF," the Syrian Arab News Agency quoted officials as saying.

The brief truce had given Kurdish forces until Saturday to present a plan for integrating their fighters into Syria's national army—an ultimatum that appears to have gone unanswered as both sides prepare for potential conflict.

The Prize: Oil, Dams, and Dangerous Prisoners

During the ceasefire, Syrian government forces didn't waste time. They seized control of critical infrastructure across the northeast, including oil fields, hydroelectric dams, and most significantly, detention facilities holding thousands of ISIS fighters and their families.

The al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa province, housing thousands of ISIS militants, now flies Syrian government flags. Government troops also took control of the notorious al-Hol camp, where tens of thousands of suspected ISIS members and their relatives have been detained since the group's territorial defeat in 2019.

"There was a limbo period on January 20, when the SDF pulled out, and the camp was left unguarded until the Syrian army came back later that evening," reported Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith from al-Hol. No escapes were reported during the handover, but the transfer highlights the precarious nature of ISIS detention in a country still rebuilding its institutions.

The U.S. military has been quietly transferring hundreds of ISIS fighters from Syrian prisons across the border into Iraq, suggesting American concerns about the security of these facilities under the new Syrian government.

Two Armies, One Country

President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rapid consolidation of power has transformed Syria's political landscape in just weeks. His forces have reclaimed vast swaths of territory from Kurdish control, bringing Syria's most resource-rich regions back under central government authority for the first time since the civil war began.

The SDF, which controlled roughly one-third of Syrian territory and served as America's primary partner against ISIS, now faces an existential choice: integrate into the Syrian army and lose their autonomous status, or resist and risk military confrontation with Damascus.

Both sides have been preparing for the worst-case scenario. Syrian military officials told Reuters they were readying forces for combat, with army vehicles and fighter buses spotted arriving near Hasakah, where SDF forces have also reinforced their positions.

The International Dimension

The Kurdish dilemma extends far beyond Syria's borders. The SDF's predicament reflects broader questions about the future of U.S. influence in the Middle East and the fate of Kurdish autonomy across the region.

Turkey, which views the SDF as a terrorist organization linked to the Kurdish PKK, has welcomed Damascus's moves against Kurdish forces. Meanwhile, European nations worry about the security implications of ISIS prisoner transfers and the potential for renewed instability in a region they thought was stabilizing.

For ordinary Syrians, the standoff represents both hope and anxiety. Many welcome the prospect of national unity after years of fragmentation, but fear that renewed conflict could derail the country's fragile recovery.