Ceasefire between Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces extended for 15 days

A ceasefire agreement between Syria’s military and Kurdish-led forces has been extended for 15 days, the Syrian Ministry of Defence announced.

The ministry said late on Saturday that the extension, which began at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), aims to support a United States operation to transfer ISIL (ISIS) prisoners from detention facilities previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The SDF also confirmed that the ceasefire was extended, stressing in a statement that the deal “contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability”.

Reporting from the Syrian capital Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna said the announcement has spurred a feeling of relief in the country.

“While this ceasefire is welcome in Syria, there’s still a lot of concern because the central issue that has caused the fighting between the SDF and the government hasn’t been resolved,” he said.

“And that issue is integration: integrating SDF fighters and civil institutions into [Syrian] government institutions.”