After meeting with the commander of the SDF, the US’s Tom Barrack said all parties agreed it was ‘essential’ to maintain the ceasefire.
Published on January 22, 2026
The United States has reiterated its support for a ceasefire in northern Syria, calling on the government and Kurdish-led forces to adopt “confidence-building measures” after recent clashes.
The US ambassador to Syria, Tom Barrack, made the diplomatic appeal on Thursday after a meeting Majlum AbdiCommander-in-Chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Ilham Ahmed, a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician.
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“All parties agreed that an essential first step is to fully support the current ceasefire, as we jointly identify and implement confidence-building measures on all sides that will increase confidence and lasting stability,” he wrote on X.
Barracks renewed US support The agreement was signed on January 18 between the Syrian government and the SDF over the integration of Kurdish-led forces into state institutions as part of Syrian President Ahmed al-Shar’a’s efforts to unify Syria.
The differences are over How would such integration work? Recent clashes were fueled by clashes between the government and the SDF, which has sought continued autonomy for some Kurdish-majority areas.
For weeks, Syrian government forces have attacked numerous SDF-held areas, taking control of Aleppo, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor.
Government-held territories include some of Syria’s largest oil fields, farmland and prisons holding ISIL (ISIS) prisoners, 150 of them Already transferred to Iraqwhich says it plans to initiate legal proceedings against them.
Under A A ceasefire was announced on TuesdayThe Syrian government gave the SDF four days to prepare a plan for the annexation of its remaining enclaves and said government forces would not enter the two remaining SDF-controlled towns if the deal was reached. Since then, both the SDF and the government have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
The SDF, once America’s top ally in Syria to combat ISIL, appears to have lost its advantage as US President Donald Trump strengthened ties with the country’s new leader al-Sharia. Barrack said on Tuesday that the SDF’s role as the “primary anti-ISIS force on the ground” had largely become obsolete on the Damascus footing.
“The fact of the matter is, for the SDF, they have essentially outlived their usefulness to the US,” said Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith.