Syrian government forces on Sunday seized a strategic town and several oil fields in northeastern Syria as part of an ongoing military push against Kurdish-led forces east of the Euphrates River.
The advance into Tabqa, in Raqqa province, follows renewed tensions between Damascus and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which erupted earlier this month and led to deadly clashes. During the fighting, government troops also took control of three neighbourhoods in Aleppo previously held by Kurdish fighters.
The operation in Tabqa is seen as highly significant due to the presence of a major dam regulating water flow to southern regions under SDF control, as well as a military air base in the town.
Associated Press journalists reported seeing residents emerge from their homes to welcome Syrian troops, waving national flags. Government forces were also seen in control of oil fields in Raqqa province that had previously been held by the SDF.
Since toppling longtime President Bashar Assad in December 2024, Syria’s new leader President Ahmad al-Sharaa has struggled to consolidate authority nationwide and reassure minority groups wary of the country’s new Islamist-led leadership. The government and the SDF have exchanged accusations of breaching a March agreement aimed at reintegrating northeastern Syria and Kurdish forces into the state.
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For years, the SDF controlled large parts of northeastern Syria, including key oil fields, and served as Washington’s main partner in the fight against the Islamic State group. However, since Assad’s removal, the United States has strengthened its ties with Damascus and sought to reduce tensions between the two sides.
Washington had called for calm after clashes in Aleppo this month left at least 23 people dead and displaced tens of thousands. Following a ceasefire, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said on Friday that the group would withdraw its forces east of the Euphrates after al-Sharaa announced steps to strengthen Kurdish rights in Syria.
Last week, Syria’s Defence Ministry declared a disputed zone in eastern Aleppo a military area. Government forces now appear to be advancing deeper toward Raqqa, one of the most important SDF-controlled cities in the northeast.
Tabqa is the latest mostly Arab-majority area in Raqqa province to fall to government troops. It remains unclear how far the Syrian military intends to push into Kurdish heartland.
Syrian state media SANA reported that Kurdish forces blew up a bridge in the city in an apparent attempt to slow the government’s advance.
The Syrian government also accused the SDF of executing prisoners in Tabqa before withdrawing. The SDF denied the claim, saying detainees had been transferred elsewhere and accusing government forces of firing on the prison. It released a video showing armed men in civilian clothes inside the facility, though no bodies were visible.
An AP reporter who visited two prisons in Tabqa found them empty and saw no bodies inside. However, three bodies in civilian clothing were found at a nearby school.
The SDF captured Tabqa from Islamic State militants in 2017 during the campaign to dismantle the group’s self-declared caliphate.
Syrian troops move into northern towns after Kurdish fighters pull back
Further east, the governor of Deir el-Zour province urged residents to remain indoors following reports of clashes with the SDF. The area, home to the Al-Omar oil field and Conoco gas plant near US troop positions, has long seen tensions between Kurdish authorities and Arab tribes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces have taken control of more than a dozen towns and villages in eastern Deir el-Zour after SDF fighters withdrew.