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The Syrian government has begun rehabilitation work on bridges that were destroyed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during their withdrawal from areas they had controlled in the city of Raqqa.
The city was located on the Euphrates River, linking the eastern and western parts of the country.
Since 2017, Raqqa had been under SDF control before the Syrian army regained control of the city on Jan. 18, following a military operation that ended the group’s hold over the area.
Before their withdrawal, the forces targeted the bridges, especially the Mansour and Rashid bridges on both banks of the Euphrates River in Raqqa, using explosive devices that caused severe damage.
As a result, Raqqa residents are currently forced to cross the river using motorboats or rowing boats.
Engineer Hassan Rahmoun from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the ministry has decided to rehabilitate the bridges linking the two banks of the Euphrates in Raqqa.
He said the first phase of repairs will be carried out through earth backfilling over about 20 days, to be followed by restoring the bridges’ supports with concrete and reopening them to traffic.
He noted that the work aims to reconnect the two sides of the city, facilitate residents’ movement, and restore the link between the east and west of the country.
Meanwhile, Abdullah al-Jalif, who transports residents by boat in Raqqa, said they are ferrying people across the river and ensuring the delivery of bread and the passage of students to the other bank.
He stressed that Raqqa’s bridges are a strategic point and that attacks by the SDF led to their destruction.
The destruction of the Euphrates River bridges sparked widespread reaction on social media.
One of the most prominent was Rashid Bridge, the largest bridge in Raqqa, which the SDF rigged with explosives and blew up to prevent the Syrian army from advancing toward the city weeks earlier.
On Jan. 18, the Syrian government signed an agreement with the SDF providing for a ceasefire and the integration of the group’s members and institutions into the Syrian state.
However, the forces continued to commit violations that the government described as a serious escalation.
The agreement came after a military operation launched by the Syrian army, during which it regained extensive areas in the east and northeast of the country, following repeated SDF violations of an agreement it signed with the government in March 2025.
The deal stipulates respecting the Kurdish component based on equal rights for all segments of the population and integrating civilian and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the state administration.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration has been making intensive efforts to restore security and extend its control over the entire country since the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, ending a 24-year rule.
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