Syrian army seizes Kurdish-held towns and dams in northern advance

Syria’s army has seized swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces that had exercised effective autonomy for more than a decade, state media said. The army took the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, and the Freedom dam west of Raqaa, the reports said. The push came despite US calls to halt the advance and followed a stalled March 2025 deal meant to integrate Kurdish forces into the state.

The government appeared to be extending its grip after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a national language and granting official recognition to the minority, the coverage said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Damascus had “violated the recent agreements and betrayed our forces” after withdrawing from some areas and accusing Syrian troops of pushing into towns and oilfields not covered by the deal.

Syrian state media reported that Kurdish-led forces destroyed two main bridges over the Euphrates in the Raqa region; the Sana agency quoted the Raqqa information directorate saying the SDF detonated the new Alrashid bridge. Both sides reported casualties and traded blame: the army said four troops were killed and the SDF said some of its fighters had died.

International actors urged de-escalation—US Central Command called for Syrian troops to cease offensive actions, and leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Iraqi Kurdistan’s Nechirvan Barzani sought a ceasefire.

Key Topics

World, Syrian Army, Syrian Democratic Forces, Tabqa, Freedom Dam, Euphrates