SDF and Damascus Swap Nearly 500 Prisoners in Latest Trust-Building Step
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus transitional government carried out another prisoner exchange on Saturday, releasing nearly 500 detainees as part of the ongoing post-ceasefire integration process.
The Exchange
The SDF released 90 government-affiliated detainees, while Damascus freed 400 SDF members, including female fighters and individuals captured during December-January fighting between the two sides. Presidential representative Ziad al-Ayesh, who oversees implementation of the January 29 agreement, said the total number freed has reached approximately 1,500, with only a small number remaining.
"In the next phase, the Interior Ministry will assume full management of prisons run by the SDF, while the Justice Ministry will begin reviewing the cases of all detainees accused of criminal offenses," Ayesh said.
Background: The January 29 Agreement
After the Assad regime fell in December 2024, the SDF and the new Syrian government initially cooperated. But tensions escalated into deadly clashes in late December and January as Damascus sought to extend its authority over SDF-controlled northeast Syria. The January 29 agreement, brokered with international support, ended the fighting and established a framework for integrating the SDF and the autonomous administration into Syrian state institutions.
The prisoner exchanges have become the most visible component of this process, a concrete, measurable step that both sides can point to as evidence of good faith. Previous swaps occurred in March (600 prisoners) and earlier in April (100 prisoners).
The broader integration includes: merging SDF fighters into the Syrian military, transferring security and administrative functions to Damascus ministries, and resolving the status of the autonomous administration's institutions. SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi visited Kobane in mid-March for the first time since the siege, a symbolic gesture of the process moving forward.