Syrian state forces deploy into Kurdish-run city under ceasefire deal

Syrian government security forces deployed into a Kurdish-controlled city in the northeast on Monday under a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal that foresees the Kurdish-run regions being merged with Damascus.

The deal, declared on Friday, has staved off further conflict between President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which lost swathes of eastern and northern Syria to government troops in January.

Reuters journalists saw a convoy of more than 30 interior ministry vehicles begin moving towards the city of Hasakah from a position outside the city in the early afternoon. Two local sources in the city said they entered shortly afterwards.

The government forces are expected to be stationed in Syrian state buildings in Hasakah's so-called "security zone", a Syrian official and a Kurdish security source told Reuters ahead of the deployment.

The accord declared on Friday foresees a phased integration of Kurdish fighters with government forces. The United States has hailed the agreement as a historic milestone towards unity and reconciliation in Syria after 14 years of civil war.

The SDF was once Washington's main Syrian ally, playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants. But its status weakened as President Donald Trump built close ties with Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.