Two days after a ceasefire was extended between the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US, UK, France, and Germany have called upon “all parties to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and to exercise their utmost restraint. We urge all external parties to join us in the pursuit of peace and the de-escalation of violence.”
The statement was released on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the STG and SDF had said they had extended a four-day ceasefire by fifteen more days. The ceasefire began on January 20 after days of clashes that saw the SDF forced to leave a swath of eastern Syria.
The SDF is a mostly Kurdish force that has been effective in fighting ISIS since 2015. The US has backed the SDF in the fight against ISIS. In 2017, the SDF liberated Raqqa in eastern Syria from ISIS control.
The future of the SDF remained uncertain following the fall of the Assad regime.
In March 2025, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi met with Syrian transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa and agreed to integrate the SDF into the new Syrian army.
This never materialized, and instead, the STG launched an offensive in mid-January against the SDF. The US, UK, and France all played a key role in the war against ISIS in Syria. France has also been very outspoken historically on protecting Kurds in Syria and Iraq.
The joint statement on January 27 came after a meeting between French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, German Deputy Foreign Minister Serap Guler, and US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said. “We welcome the 15-day extension of the ceasefire between the Syrian Government Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces announced on 24 January. We call upon all parties to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and to exercise their utmost restraint. We urge all external parties to join us in the pursuit of peace and the de-escalation of violence.”
Statement calls for humanitarian corridors, basic services in Kobane
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs statement notes that “we reiterate the obligation of all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We welcome the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. We emphasize that these corridors must be maintained, and basic services resumed in the city of Kobane.”
Kobane is a Kurdish city in northern Syria that has been under siege since January 19. The statement noted the role played by the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The four countries also noted that “we reiterate the need to maintain and focus collective efforts on the fight against ISIS. We call upon all parties to avoid any security vacuum in and around ISIS detention centers. To address these concerns, we agreed to promptly convene a meeting of the International Coalition against ISIS.”
The countries’ support for an inclusive political transition in Syria, which protects the rights of all Syrians.”
The Syrian government hopes to hold a new round of integration talks with Kurdish forces as early as today, a Syrian government official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The talks would focus on practical ways to implement an agreement mediated by the United States this month, the official said.
Reuters contributed to this report.