The Syrian government releases 88 members of the "SDF" organization in Al-Hasakah
The Syrian government has released a new batch of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members detained by it, as part of a series of ongoing exchanges and releases carried out in al-Hasakeh province, based on the agreement signed between the two parties on January 29th.
The release took place today, Monday, May 25, under the supervision of the Presidential Team for the Follow-up of the Implementation of the Convention, and in the presence of the Internal Security Commander in Al-Hasakah, according to local sources in the province.
The new batch included the release of 88 members of the SDF, as the buses carrying the detainees first arrived in the Al-Milbiyah area, south of the city of Al-Hasakah, before moving to the sports city in the Ghuwayran neighborhood inside the city, where they were released this afternoon.
Hawar News Agency, which is close to the SDF, reported that "88 detainees arrived in the city of Al-Hasakah, where they were received at the municipal stadium in the Ghuwayran neighborhood of the city of Hasakah, in the presence of their families and leaders of the Internal Security Forces, in accordance with the approved procedures."
The agency quoted sources it described as being familiar with the situation that the number of detainees remaining so far "amounts to about 300 people, including SDF fighters and civilians."
The first batch was released on March 10, 2026, followed by the second batch on March 19, the third on April 11, and the fourth on May 8.
Governor of Al-Hasakah: The file of SDF detainees will not be closed before Eid
Al-Hasakah Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed If Syrian Government I released A new batch of detainees affiliated with the SDF in the Al-Milbia area, south of the city ofAl-HasakahAs part of the efforts of the presidential team in charge of following up on the implementation of the provisions of the January 29 agreement with the SDF, and the Internal Security Command in the governorate.
The governor added in a press statement that the number of people released today reached 88, indicating that the release process comes as a continuation of previous batches that were released, with the support and follow-up of the Syrian leadership.
Ahmed pointed out that work continues to release detainees and detainees in prisons, as "there will be a new batch today or tomorrow," leading to "the release of all detainees after Eid al-Adha."
The deputy governor of al-Hasakah, Ahmed al-Hilali, said in a statement on Thursday, May 14, that the Syrian government is working intensively to close the file of the detainees of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Al-Hilali confirmed in a statement to the North Press Agency that the competent authorities are currently conducting the final census of detainees, with expectations that this file will be completed in its entirety and they will be released before the arrival of Eid al-Adha.
Releases from both sides since March
The new operation comes in the context of a series of reciprocal measures between the Syrian government and the SDF that began last March, during which Al-Hasakah province witnessed several exchanges and the release of detainees from both sides.
Last March, Al-Hasakah witnessed the release of 232 detainees as part of what was described at the time as the fourth batch of the release of SDF fighters detained by the Syrian government.
On April 11, an exchange operation was carried out between the two parties, which included the release of 400 SDF detainees who were in the custody of the Syrian government, in exchange for the release of 90 SDF detainees.
This was preceded by another exchange on March 19, during which 300 SDF detainees were released in exchange for a similar batch of SDF detainees, ahead of Eid al-Fitr.
Between March 8 and 10, the governorate also witnessed successive exchanges, starting with the release of 59 SDF fighters on March 8, and then continuing on March 10 with the release of 100 detainees from each side, in an operation that took place near the southern entrance to the city of Hasakah.
January Agreement
These operations are part of broader understandings between the Syrian government and the SDF, following developments on the ground in northeastern Syria during mid-January.
At the time, the Syrian army extended its control over Raqqa province and large parts of the countryside of Deir Ezzor and Hasakah, while the SDF retreated to the main city centers in Al-Hasakah province, especially the cities of Al-Hasakah and Qamishli, in addition to the Ain al-Arab (Kobani) district in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
These developments were followed by the signing of an agreement between the two parties at the end of January, which included clauses related to the integration of the SDF's military, security and service institutions into the structures of Syrian government ministries, in addition to implementing mutual releases of detainees, and working to return the displaced to their areas of origin.