Syria's leader agrees truce with Kurds after govt troops advance

DAMASCUS, Jan 19: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country's north and east.

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war.

He made the decision after deadly clashes in the Syrian city of Raqa Sunday between Kurdish-led forces and local fighters loyal to Damascus, and fighting this month between the Kurds and government forces.

The agreement will also see the Kurdish administration and forces integrate into the state after months of stalled negotiations on the issue.

But it marks a blow for the minority, which has long held ambitions of preserving the de facto autonomy they had exercised over areas they held for over a decade.    �"AFP