ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Authorities in northeastern Syria (Rojava) say hundreds of detainees are set to be released soon as part of the ongoing coordination between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with officials describing as steady the progress in resolving one of the most sensitive files in the January agreement between the two sides.
Nour al-Din Ahmed, governor of the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province in Rojava, told Rudaw on Tuesday that “34 detainees were released today by the Syrian Democratic Forces” as an initial step, adding that the move will be reciprocated by the Syrian government, which is expected to “soon release more than 200 detainees,” as “efforts are underway to resolve this dossier as quickly as possible.”
The developments come as both sides continue implementing phased releases agreed upon earlier this year following weeks of intense clashes.
In mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups launched a major offensive into areas held by the SDF. The offensive led to the Kurdish-led forces’ gradual withdrawal from territories in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka provinces.
The SDF serves as the de facto military force of Rojava. Until Syria joined the US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November, the Kurdish-led forces were the coalition’s sole on-the-ground partner, playing a major role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However in late January, Syria’s transitional government reached an agreement with the SDF to de-escalate tensions and begin a phased political and military process, allowing government forces to enter the Kurdish-majority cities of Hasaka and Qamishli in Rojava.
Under the deal, both sides also agreed on a gradual prisoner exchange process and broader integration steps, including the formation of three SDF brigades within the Syrian army and the incorporation of Rojava’s Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) into state institutions.
According to Syrian officials, three rounds of detainees exchange have been carried out since March, paving the way for the release of hundreds of detainees.