22.01.2026 10:41
Security sources stated, "The official interlocutor in the fight against ISIS is now the Damascus government. For the US and Trump, the SDF story is also coming to an end, and the SDF is losing its leverage."
Security sources provided strategic assessments regarding the recent military and diplomatic developments gaining momentum in northern Syria.
Sources indicated that the terrorist organization SDG has lost two-thirds of the areas it controlled, emphasizing that "the SDG bracket has closed" and that the Syrian branch of the PKK has been left unprotected both on the ground and in international diplomacy.
According to information obtained from security sources, here are the latest developments occurring both on the ground and at the negotiation table:
Security sources reported that the SDG has withdrawn from the Al-Hol camp and that Yarubiye, the only official border crossing connecting Hasakah to Iraq's Mosul, has been taken under control by the Syrian army. It was stated that this development is critical in terms of severing the logistical and strategic ties between the SDG and the Qandil cadres in Iraq.
Sources pointed out that as a result of operations, the connection between Ayn al-Arab and Hasakah has been severed, and noted that the PKK's efforts to create a perception of a "second Ayn al-Arab incident" have not been successful. It was recorded that the area where the Suleyman Shah Tomb is located and the strategic Karakozak Bridge have been cleared.
4-DAY CEASEFIRE AND INTEGRATION PROCESS
Sources shared that a 4-day ceasefire has been signed between the Syrian administration and the SDG as of January 18, and conveyed the details of the agreement as follows:
Syrian soldiers will not enter Kurdish villages, and no armed elements will be present in these areas. The SDG may propose names for the Deputy Minister of Defense of Syria and the Governorship of Hasakah. Full integration of SDG elements into the Syrian defense forces will be ensured, and the rights of the Kurds will be constitutionally guaranteed.
Sources addressing the reasons behind the change in the U.S. stance towards the SDG pointed to a meeting on January 4, which included the terrorist Mazlum Abdi Şahin, known by the code name "Mazlum Kobani," Syrian Foreign Minister Sheybani, and U.S. officials. It was noted that the SDG has been stalling the resolution process for 10 months and that every decision made by the terrorist Mazlum Abdi Şahin has been consulted with Qandil, confirming the reality that "there is no distinction between the SDG and the PKK" in the eyes of the U.S.
"ISIS BLACKMAIL" BACKFIRES
It was emphasized that the SDG's blackmail of "If we are not here, ISIS will return" is no longer effective. It was stated that the SDG attempted to pressure the U.S. by releasing 200 ISIS members from its prisons, but this was met with a strong reaction from the U.S.
Sources also referred to the phone call between President Trump and Ahmed Shara, stating that Trump conveyed the message, "What matters to us is the control of ISIS prisons; I don't care about the SDG." In this context, it was reported that the management of the largest prison, Sinaa Prison, has been taken over by the U.S., while control of Al-Hol has passed to the Syrian administration.
Sources indicated that approximately 40,000 of the total 63,000 personnel of the SDG are Arabs, noting that the organic uprising initiated by Arab tribes against the oppression of the SDG has accelerated the disintegration of the organization. It was expressed that with the loss of the SDG's oil resources and financial reserves, Qandil no longer has the opportunity to use Syria as a "reserve area."
"TERROR-FREE TURKEY" GOAL AND IMRALI MESSAGES
Security sources assess that the "Terror-Free Turkey" process in domestic politics will be positively influenced by developments in Syria. It was shared that Abdullah Öcalan called on the SDG to "integrate under reasonable conditions," but Qandil is attempting to sabotage this process.
It was stated that in the new equation in Syria, the official interlocutor in the fight against ISIS has begun to be the Damascus administration, and that the SDG has lost its legitimacy. The following evaluation was made:
The situation on the ground is progressing better than we expected. The SDG story is coming to an end. If the organization behaves reasonably, full integration will be achieved; otherwise, military operations will continue to advance. Our goal of a "Terror-Free Turkey" will emerge stronger from this process.