In a significant development within Syria’s ongoing conflict resolution efforts, government authorities have secured the release of 126 minors from a northern detention facility. This action follows a strategic agreement between Damascus and Kurdish-led forces that marks a notable shift in territorial control and administrative responsibilities.
The prisoner release occurred at Al-Aqtan prison in Raqa province, a facility previously managed by Kurdish authorities that has housed numerous detainees with alleged connections to the Islamic State group. Syrian state television broadcast emotional scenes of families reuniting with the freed youths, while the official SANA news agency published comprehensive lists of remaining detainees to facilitate public identification.
This transfer forms part of a broader ceasefire and integration agreement announced by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi. The arrangement includes provisions for incorporating the Kurds’ autonomous administration into the state apparatus, with Damascus assuming responsibility for managing IS prisoners nationwide.
The geopolitical implications are substantial, as the SDF continues withdrawing from strategic territories under pressure from Damascus. Recent days have witnessed Kurdish forces relinquishing significant areas and consolidating their presence primarily in Hasakeh province in northeast Syria. Concurrently, Kurdish combatants have been systematically transferred from the prison complex to the Kurdish-controlled city of Ain al-Arab (also known as Kobane) in Aleppo province near the Turkish border.
Army representatives quoted in state media characterized the prison transfer as ‘the initial phase in executing the January 18 agreement,’ through which Syria’s interior ministry will assume full administrative control of the detention facility. The SDF has not issued immediate commentary regarding these developments.