The fall of the Assad regime and the ongoing negotiations between the new Damascus government—the Syrian Transitional Government (STG)—and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) have created a sense of optimism across the country. Many now hope that the hundreds of thousands of displaced people scatteredContinue Reading
Efforts to build a politically unified Syria continue, as the Autonomous Administration (DAANES) and the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) remain engaged in intensive, U.S.-sponsored negotiations. Earlier momentum—culminating in the March 10 Agreement between SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which outlined a roadmap for integrating theContinue Reading
In Kobani, northeastern Syria, the memory of the 2014 ISIS siege still lingers more than a decade later. The battle, which turned the small border city into a global symbol of resistance, left deep scars—and a lasting legacy. On November 1, 2025, the world marks the eleventh World Kobani Day,Continue Reading
Northeast Syria — US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper visited northeast Syria in early October to hold high-level talks with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leadership, including co-commanders General Mazloum Abdi and General Rohilat Afrin. The visit underscores American efforts toContinue Reading
In northeast Syria, the fight against ISIS continues on a daily basis, with at least nine SDF members killed in combat with ISIS terrorists in Deir-ez-Zor in the past two weeks. Last Saturday, the SDF stated that four troops were killed in clashes in the town of Abriha, with oneContinue Reading
ANAZ, Syria — Rising violence against Syria’s Christian minority in the Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of Christians) region has sparked fear and anger among residents, following a recent deadly attack that killed two young men and wounded another. Four masked gunmen, reportedly dressed as government security forces, opened fire outside theContinue Reading
New York, NY — The United Nations General Assembly convened this month with global leaders gathering for key sessions, including the annual Women, Peace, and Security conference. Among the participants was the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political representative of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, whichContinue Reading
The city of Hasakah in northeast Syria still bears the scars of the fierce fighting that erupted in January 2022, following a large-scale ISIS assault on the al-Sina’a detention facility. In response to intelligence suggesting that ISIS was attempting to reestablish its presence in the area, the Syrian Democratic ForcesContinue Reading
Terrorist attacks continue to destabilize Syria’s northeast as ISIS maintains its campaign against the security forces of the Autonomous Administration, despite ongoing joint operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. In recent months, several major ISIS attacks have resulted in casualties amongContinue Reading
Gunmen affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) based in Damascus, clash with local Druze forces in Suwayda July witnessed some of Syria’s most intense violence since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, as armed Bedouin militants and Druze factions clashed across the countryside of the Druze-majorityContinue Reading
As summer temperatures soared, wildfires swept through rural areas of Latakia on Syria’s coast. In response, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria dispatched 150 trained firefighting personnel, supported by 18 fire trucks, two ambulances, two fuel tankers, and two bulldozers, to assist local authorities in containing and extinguishingContinue Reading
A Kurdish delegation from northeastern Syria, left, meets representatives of the Syrian transitional government in Damascus on June 1, 2025 – AFP Syria is undergoing significant economic changes for the first time in years.Following the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024, and after negotiations between Syria’sContinue Reading
Rows of shattered pews and bloodstains beneath images of Christian icons were laid bare to the world following a deadly terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 20, 2025. A gunman opened fire on worshippers during the church’s Sunday evening service before detonating anContinue Reading
A Turkish flag painted over a historic home in Rajo, Afrin, Syria. The house was reportedly looted by the Hamza Division, sanctioned by the US Treasury, in 2018. One of the most pressing challenges still facing the Syrian people is the plight of the millions who remain internally displaced followingContinue Reading
An ISIS militant captured by SDF special forces, along with the weapons cache that was discovered. As Syria continues its gradual journey toward reconstruction, recovery, and a lasting political settlement between its governing entities, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remain engaged in an ongoing fight against terrorist elements—particularly the IslamicContinue Reading
As Syria grapples with ongoing instability, ISIS militants have escalated their operations, exploiting the country’s fragile security landscape and deepening tensions. Last week, the group claimed their first attacks directly on Syrian Transitional Government forces in the southern majority Druze province of Suweida. This marks a significant escalation, as ISISContinue Reading
Following years of political deadlock, Syria’s largest Kurdish parties came together and signed a landmark agreement on April 26. In a meeting of 400 delegates, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), one of the largest parties within the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and the Kurdish National CouncilContinue Reading
In a dramatic move, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria following his first-ever meeting with Syrian President al-Sharaa. The meeting was facilitated by Saudi officials on the sidelines of a regional conference between President Trump and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders. It marked the firstContinue Reading
President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Damascus-based Transitional Government are attempting to consolidate various factions, organizations, and structures into a unified Syria as the world looks on. Agreements such as the one between President al-Sharaa and Commander Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces have offered a glimmer of hope thatContinue Reading
EUPHRATES RIVER, Syria — Following months of escalating Turkish aggression that threatened the stability of the Tishreen dam, one of northeast Syria’s most vital infrastructure projects, the Global Coalition has brokered a ceasefire between Turkey, Turkish-backed militias, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The agreement comes after sustained drone strikesContinue Reading
DAMASCUS — The political landscape of Syria remains in flux following a rapid offensive late last year that saw Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seize control of Damascus. Since then, the fate of Syria’s autonomous northeast has hung in the balance. Despite their geographic isolation, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—aContinue Reading
ALEPPO, Syria – After months of rising tensions, a significant agreement has been reached concerning the status of the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, Syria’s second biggest city. The deal, finalized earlier this month, marks a key turning point in efforts to stabilize the fractured northern cityContinue Reading
HASAKAH, Syria — Yazidis across northeast Syria gathered this week to celebrate Red Wednesday, the Yazidi New Year, after the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria officially recognized the occasion as a public holiday. The move is part of a broader effort to preserve and promote the region’s multi-ethnicContinue Reading
WASHINGTON — In a swift policy reversal, the White House has moved to reinstate several emergency food aid programs, including critical support for conflict-stricken regions of Syria. The decision was communicated through an internal email from Jeremy Lewin, acting deputy director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), instructingContinue Reading
Late Sunday night ten members of a single family were killed between the villages of Qomji and Barkh Botan outside of Kobani. The dead include a man and woman and their eight children. The only surviving member of the Othman Abdo family, a 9 nine year old girl, was severelyContinue Reading
Despite an existing ceasefire, intense fighting has continued between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) groups, with Turkish airstrikes providing support to the SNA. Fighting has remained concentrated near the Euphrates, in the region separating Manbij and Kobani, especially around the Tishreen Dam. The DamContinue Reading
Over the past week there has been a bloody massacre of Alaawites in Syria, including killings of women, children, the elderly, and noncombatants. The death toll is in the thousands and climbing. The atrocities committed by extremist militants have been documented and posted on social media by the militants themselves. Scores of horrific videos haveContinue Reading
In the permanently altered political situation in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime, the status of ten thousand ISIS fighters, including two thousand foreigners, as well as tens of thousands of women and children related to them, remains unclear. The SDF and Internal Security Forces of the AutonomousContinue Reading
Yesterday, Turkish fighter jets and drones conducted a series of airstrikes against several targets near Shaddadi, south of Hasakah in North-East Syria. An SDF military position, housing for civilian workers, and a civilian vehicle transporting local shepherds were all hit. In total, 16 airstrikes targeted the region, killing four SDF members, sixContinue Reading
(from left) Sinam Mohamad, Chief of Mission of SDC-US and Dace Melbārde, Parliamentary Secretary at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “We need to empower women to actively participate in politics, otherwise we risk perpetuating old cycles of poverty and discrimination. It starts with breaking stereotypes in family and society,Continue Reading
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) attended this year’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) week at the United Nations, an annual event held in October to highlight the importance of gender equality in peace-building efforts around the world. The global WPS agenda is based around UN Security Council Resolution 1325, whichContinue Reading
According to local sources, militants from the Samarkand faction of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) have cut down dozens of trees near Haj Hassane village in the countryside of Afrin. They have also imposed fees of $1 per tree on the olive tree owners of Rajo district to moveContinue Reading
Following the 2024 US presidential elections, the military and political leadership of northeast Syria, including Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Co-Chair Leyla Qehreman and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi, congratulated President Trump on his victory. The SDF and SDC had extensive contacts during the previous Trump Administration, includingContinue Reading
The Syrian Democratic Forces launched one of the most comprehensive counter-terrorism operations since ISIS’ territorial Caliphate came to an end in 2019 during Operation “Enduring Security.” This latest operation has now concluded its second and final phase, with the help of the US-led International Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The firstContinue Reading
At the end of October 2024, Turkish military forces launched an enormous wave of airstrikes against mostly civilian targets in northeast Syria. Millions of people in the region, already battered by previous strikes, a siege-like economic embargo, and incoming refugees fleeing Lebanon’s war, have seen their daily lives become increasinglyContinue Reading
ISIS is once again active in Syria. There has been a recent surge in ISIS attacks, including attacks on Syrian troops – the soldiers of Bashar al-Assad – in the desert. In the first three months of 2023, ISIS in Syria killed 84 Syrian soldiers and 44 civilians. In MarchContinue Reading
Turkish-backed militias recently removed the iconic Kurdish statue of Kawa the Blacksmith, replacing it with a large, shiny, army-green design representing a cluster of olives representing Operation Olive Branch.Continue Reading
The schedule move has prompted many to speculate on whether US-Turkey relationship is becoming even more problematic than before.Continue Reading
The families receiving these homes were falsely registered as the legal owners of houses that were destroyed by the February 2023 earthquake.Continue Reading
Throughout North and East Syria, women marked International Women’s Day with marches, rallies, seminars, special events, and declarations. They acknowledged the gains in women’s freedoms that have occurred, while also vowing to continue the struggle for equality, human rights, and power to control their own destinies. They danced, enjoyed music,Continue Reading
The YPJ Women’s Protection Units are military units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of North and East Syria. To commemorate International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023, and their 10th anniversary, they issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to fighting for their rights and the rights of all women. “InContinue Reading
On December 28, 2022, 1,000 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (NES), in coordination with the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS, launched a major operation to target ISIS cells in the Tel Hamis, Tel Barak, and Al-Hol regions of NES. TheContinue Reading
In a first for the region, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Autonomous Administration (AANES), and Democratic Union Party (PYD) received a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Bafel Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party, Commander of Combined Joint Task Forces – Operation Inherent ResolveContinue Reading
The State Department praised Spain’s efforts to repatriate its citizens from North and East Syria, as the state became the first to repatriate individuals affiliated with ISIS in 2023, bringing two women and 13 children home. Days later, Barbados repatriated a female ISIS member and two children from the campContinue Reading
Conflict Armament Research (CAR), an organization dedicated to tracking the origins of weapons and weapon components used in war, has found evidence of European Union-manufactured components being used in missiles fired by Turkish drones in North and East Syria. The organization stated that after analyzing the remnants of 17 air-to-surfaceContinue Reading
On January 10, 2023, a press conference was held between the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and National Alliance For Syria (NAFS) in the city of Qamishli. Both parties jointly announced the results of a series of meetings held since December, in which the potential Erdogan-Assad reconciliation and its political, military,Continue Reading
The Turkish military launched a major air assault on North and East Syria on the night of November 19, 2022, going into the morning of the 20th. The scale of the attack was unprecedented since the Turkish invasion of the region in October 2019, when the Turkish military occupied theContinue Reading
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on November 21 that Turkey’s most recent operation against North and East Syria is not limited to its activities in the air. This statement comes as Turkey has been threatening a renewed ground offensive in North and East Syria against the Autonomous Administration sinceContinue Reading
SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi was hosted by Columbia University’s Director David Phillips in an informative discussion held on the “Security Situation in North and East Syria.” The recent Turkish escalation and airstrike campaign, along with the status of the anti-ISIS campaign, and relations with the US were at the forefrontContinue Reading
Dozens of Turkish airstrikes struck North and East Syria on the evening of November 19 and into the morning of November 20 2022. Kobani, the city that became famous for its status as a symbol of resistance to ISIS, was targeted several times, leading to the city’s primary COVID-19 treatmentContinue Reading