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Syria's Interior Ministry accused the YPG/SDF terrorist group on Tuesday of releasing Daesh detainees and their families from prisons and withdrawing from guarding Al-Hol camp in eastern Hasakah without coordination with the government or the U.S.-led international coalition.
"Today, its members assigned to guard Al-Hol camp in eastern Hasakah withdrew without any coordination with the Syrian government or the international coalition, in a move aimed at exerting pressure on the government through the counterterrorism file," the ministry said in a statement.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG terrorist group, which Türkiye considers the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group.
The Syrian government said it officially notified the U.S. side since Monday night of the YPG/SDF's intention to withdraw from positions around Al-Hol camp, which necessitated immediate action to address any security gap that may arise.
"The Syrian Government affirms that, as of last night, it has officially notified the United States of America of the intention of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to withdraw from their positions in the vicinity of Al-Hol Camp, a step that necessitated immediate action to avert any potential security vacuum that may arise as a result," the Minister of Information in the Syrian Arab Republic Hamzeh Al-Mustafa published on X.
"The Syrian government has also reiterated to the American side and to all concerned parties its full and immediate readiness to assume control of these positions and manage them from a security standpoint to ensure the stability of the camp and to prevent any attempts by terrorist organizations to exploit this withdrawal," the statement noted.
"Despite the clarity of the agreed arrangements and the sensitivity of the timing, we have observed deliberate procrastination on the part of the SDF in completing the handover process, in a manner that suggests an attempt to create confusion and to precipitate a new security crisis in the region," the statement added.
The Syrian government held the YPG/SDF leadership fully responsible for any consequences resulting from this deliberate delay.
"The Syrian government holds the leadership of the SDF fully responsible for any consequences that may result from this intentional delay and reiterates that it will not permit the emergence of any security vacuum that could endanger the safety and stability of the region," the Syrian government said.
"The Syrian government further calls upon the United States to shoulder its responsibilities and to exert the necessary pressure to ensure the completion of the handover process without further delay or obstruction," the statement lastly noted.
In a statement, Syria’s Defense Ministry said it was ready to take control of Al-Hol camp and all Daesh detention facilities in the region.
“We announce our full readiness to take over Al-Hol Camp and all Daesh detention facilities in the region. We stress that our top priority is combating Daesh, and we firmly reject the exploitation of detainees as hostages or political bargaining tools by the leadership of the SDF to spread chaos and destabilize the situation,” the statement said.
The ministry called on the SDF leadership to fulfill its commitments and urgently implement the Jan. 18 agreement.
“We reaffirm our absolute commitment to protecting our Kurdish people and safeguarding their security, and we renew our pledge that our forces will not enter Kurdish towns and villages. The army is a shield for all Syrians, and its mission is to restore stability and protect state institutions,” it added.
The Syrian Army Operations Command announced the YPG/SDF abandoned Al-Hol camp, which houses families of Daesh terrorists—mostly women and children—and released those held inside.
"The SDF stopped providing security for Al-Hol camp and released those detained in the camp. The Syrian Arab Army will enter the area in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces to provide security," the Operations Command said.
"We emphasize our absolute commitment to protecting and ensuring the security of the Kurdish people. The army is the protector of all Syrians, and its primary goal is to restore stability and protect state institutions," the statement added.
Al-Hol camp, located in northeastern Syria, houses tens of thousands of people, including families of suspected Daesh members, displaced Syrians and foreign nationals. One civilian was killed as a result of fire opened by YPG/SDF members in the Al-Hol area, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
Meanwhile, talks between Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Sahin, the head of the YPG terror group operating under the SDF umbrella, ended without results after lasting five hours, according to government sources.
A government source told Anadolu that no agreement was reached on Monday on the implementation of the March 10 understanding or the ceasefire and full integration agreement.
“The SDF side did not show the necessary flexibility in the meeting. New meetings will be held in the coming period,” the source said.
According to a report published on the Telegram account of the Al Jazeera television network, discussions focused primarily on the status of Al-Hasakah province, located near the Iraqi border in northeastern Syria.
The report said Sahin insisted that Al-Hasakah remain under the terror group’s control, while al-Sharaa conditioned its status on the entry of internal security forces and the transfer of state institutions to government authority.
When Sahin continued to demand full organizational control of the city, al-Sharaa responded that military operations would continue in that case, the report said.
It added that al-Sharaa rejected Sahin’s request for an additional five days for consultations and demanded a final response by midnight Monday.
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A source close to the government also confirmed to Syria’s state television, Al-Ikhbariya, that the talks ended without results.
On Sunday evening, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire and an agreement for the full integration of the SDF into state institutions.
Under the deal, the SDF is to withdraw its military formations east of the Euphrates River and hand over administrative and security control of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces to the Syrian state.
The agreement also provides for the integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Syrian Defense and Interior ministries following individual security vetting, along with the transfer of border crossings oil and gas fields, and civilian institutions to government control.
The announcement followed a military operation by the Syrian Army, which regained wide areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated violations by the SDF of earlier agreements signed with Damascus nearly a year ago.
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