Syrian govt, Kurdish-led force exchange prisoners in step toward easing tensions
by Naharnet Newsdesk 03 June 2025, 11:29
Syrian authorities and a Kurdish-led force exchanged Monday more than 400 prisoners as part of a deal reached earlier this year between the two sides.
The exchange in the northern city of Aleppo is a step in the process of confidence- building measures between the government in Damascus and the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. A similar exchange took place in April.
Mulham al-Akidi, the deputy governor of Aleppo province, said 470 prisoners were released by both sides adding that the exchange "aims to reduce tensions on the ground." He added that if there are more prisoners they will be released in the near future.
Yasser Mohammed Hakim said he was detained six months ago after he drove into an SDF-controlled area by mistake. The man added that he was held in a jail where members of the Islamic State group are held in Syria.
"They put us with the biggest terrorists," Hakim told The Associated Press after his release by the SDF. "I am a civilian who took the wrong road. I lost six months of my life."
In March, Syria's interim government signed a deal with the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country's northeast, including a ceasefire and the merging of the main U.S.-backed force there into the Syrian army.
Since the deal was signed, the clashes between the SDF and the Syrian National Army, a coalition of Turkey-backed groups, almost stopped in northern Syria after months of fighting that left dozens killed or wounded on both sides.
Syria's new rulers are struggling to exert their authority across the country and reach political settlements with different ethnic and religious groups in the war-torn nation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
39 minutes ago
- Nahar Net
Trump speaks with Xi amid stalled talks between the US and China over tariffs
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 June 2025, 16:11 U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have roiled global trade. The conversation was reported by Xinhua, a Chinese state media outlet. The White House did not immediately comment. Trump had declared one day earlier that it was difficult to reach a deal with Xi. "I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!," Trump posted Wednesday on his social media site. Trade negotiations between the United States and China stalled shortly after a May 12 agreement between the two countries to reduce their tariff rates while talks played out. Behind the gridlock has been the continued competition for an economic edge.
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Israeli general warns against any attack from Lebanon
by Naharnet Newsdesk 4 hours The commander of the Israeli army's northern front has warned against any attack from Lebanon, following the recent rocket attack from Syria that targeted the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. 'After 19 years, we returned to war in Lebanon. We did not stop until the equation was reversed, and we will not allow the equation to be reversed again. These days, we continue to preserve our achievements and thwart and prevent any threat,' Northern Command chief Ori Gordin said at a ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the 2006 war with Hezbollah. 'If anyone makes a mistake … and shoots at us as happened last night from Syria, we will respond to them in kind and pursue them and those who sent them relentlessly, and this will be a clear message to all our enemies,' Gordin added. An Israeli security source meanwhile told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel that "Iran, Hezbollah and those linked to (ousted Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad are trying to obstruct stability in Syria." "The current Syrian administration had nothing to do with the firing of rockets from south Syria," the source added.
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Report: Araghchi told Hezbollah not to discuss arms before knowing outcome of talks with US
by Naharnet Newsdesk 4 hours Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to Lebanon was aimed at saying that 'Tehran is still present in Lebanon,' a source close to Hezbollah told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel. 'What's new in Araghchi's visit is that he said that Iran would deal with the Lebanese state and not with political parties,' the source said. 'Araghchi's message was to avoid engaging in a dialogue that would decide the fate of (Hezbollah's) weapons before knowing the outcome of the (Iranian nuclear) negotiations with the U.S.,' the source added. 'Araghchi's message to the allies was that Tehran is determined to absorb the requirements of the new era and to deal with its transformations,' the source went on to say.
