Syrian government forces enter northern towns after Kurdish fighters withdraw

DEIR HAFER, Syria (AP) — Syrian government forces entered two northern towns Saturday morning after the command of Kurdish-led fighters said that it would evacuate from the area, in an apparent move to avoid conflict.

Two soldiers were killed and others wounded in a clash as they entered the town of Maskana, state media reported. Clashes were reported in other parts of northern Syria as government forces pushed east.

Meanwhile, troops made their way into the town of Deir Hafer. The two towns changed hands after deadly fighting erupted earlier this month between government troops and the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in the city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest. It ended with the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from three neighborhoods taken over by government forces.

An Associated Press reporter on Saturday saw government tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, including pickup trucks with heavy machine guns mounted on top, entering Deir Hafer after bulldozers removed barriers. There was no SDF presence on the edge of the town.

The Syrian military said its forces were in full control of Deir Hafer, captured the Jarrah air base to the east, and were in the process of clearing mines and explosives. It added that troops would move toward the nearby town of Maskana, where an AP reporter saw a military convoy rolling in hours later.

“Our happiness is beyond expression. It is the happiness of liberation,” said Hussein Mustafa as he welcomed troops entering Deir Hafer. He blasted the SDF, saying residents can now celebrate that government forces are in charge at last.

Another resident, Mohammed al-Jaber, said: “The Syrian Arab Army came here and liberated us from this terrorist organization.”

For years, the SDF has been the main U.S. partner in Syria in the fight against the Islamic State group, but Ankara considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with Kurdish separatist insurgents in Turkey. Some of the factions that now make up the Syrian army were formerly Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The SDF said in a statement that, according to an agreement, Syrian forces were supposed to enter Deir Hafer and Maskana after the Kurdish-led force ended their withdrawal.

“Damascus violated the terms of the agreement and entered the towns before our fighters had fully withdrawn, creating a highly dangerous situation with potentially serious repercussions,” the SDF said.

State news agency SANA reported that SDF fighters “violated the agreement" by targeting an army patrol near Maskana, leaving two soldiers dead and others wounded. SANA added that government forces kept moving east, reaching two villages in the northern province of Raqqa.

Over the past two days, more than 11,000 people fled Deir Hafer and Maskana using side roads to reach government-controlled areas, after the government announced an offensive to take the towns.

On Friday night, after government forces started pounding SDF positions in Deir Hafer, the Kurdish-led fighters’ top commander, Mazloum Abdi, posted on X that his group would withdraw from contested areas in northern Syria. Abdi said that SDF fighters would relocate east of the Euphrates River starting at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) Saturday.

The easing of tension came after U.S. military officials visited Deir Hafer on Friday and held talks with SDF officials in the area. The United States has good relations with both sides and has urged calm.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S. Central Command, welcomed in a statement Saturday evening ongoing efforts by all parties in Syria to prevent escalation and pursue resolution through dialogue.

“We also urge Syrian government forces to cease any offensive actions in areas between Aleppo” and the town of Tabqa to the east, Cooper said.

Aggressively pursuing IS and relentlessly applying military pressure requires teamwork among Syrian partners in coordination with U.S. and coalition forces, he said.

Abdi was scheduled to hold talks with the U.S. special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on Saturday.

In Irbil, an official with Iraq's Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, said that its officials had asked the SDF to withdraw from parts of northern Syria, but the Kurdish force in Syria rejected. According to the official, KDP leader Masoud Barzani communicated with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who requested that Barzani act as a mediator — an initiative Abdi also accepted.

The official said Barzani's initiative led to the expected meeting between Abdi and Barrack in Irbil, in which they will work toward an arrangement to keep SDF forces east of the Euphrates and prevent a return to fighting. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak with the media.

The SDF’s decision to withdraw from Deir Hafer was made after al-Sharaa issued a decree Friday boosting the rights of the country’s Kurds, who made up about 10% of Syria’s population of 23 million before the conflict began in 2011. Over the past several decades, Syria’s Kurds have been marginalized and deprived of their cultural rights under the rule of the Baath Party that ran Syria for six decades until President Bashar Assad’s fall in December 2024.

Al-Sharaa’s decree recognized Kurdish as a national language, along with Arabic, and adopted the Newroz festival, a traditional celebration of spring and renewal marked by Kurds around the region, as an official holiday.

The Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria said Saturday that the rights of Kurds should not be protected by “temporary decrees” but by mentioning them in the country's constitution. It added that a decree “does not form a real guarantee for rights of Syria's ethnic groups.”

Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.

Syrian government forces enter the town of Deir Hafer, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, following the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

People celebrate as Syrian government forces enter the town of Deir Hafer, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, following the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

People celebrate as Syrian government forces enter the town of Maskana, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, following the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

A convoy of Syrian government forces drive on a road leading to the town of Deir Hafer, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers carry machine guns as they ride motorcycles on a road leading to the town of Deir Hafer, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers drive a vehicle with heavy machine gun mounted on top on a road leading to the town of Deir Hafer, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A convoy of Syrian government forces drives on a road leading to the town of Deir Hafer, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers carry machine guns as they ride motorcycles on a road leading to the town of Deir Hafer, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — European players chanted, “Two more years!” when they won the Ryder Cup in New York, and Luke Donald listened. He was named captain on Wednesday for the 2027 matches in Ireland, making him the first captain in 30 years to lead in three straight Ryder Cups.

At stake for Donald is a chance to become the first Ryder Cup captain with three straight victories.

“The last two Ryder Cups have meant a lot to me and my family," Donald said. "I didn’t imagine this third time would come. Celebrating on that Sunday night in New York after a pressure-packed week in a tough environment, I thought maybe my job was done.

“But maybe there is a little more story to tell.”

Donald, a former world No. 1 from England, was never meant to be captain in the first place. He seemingly lost out when Europe chose Henrik Stenson to be captain for the 2023 matches outside Rome. But then Stenson gave up the job when he joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and Donald stepped in and hasn't missed a beat.

Donald led Europe to a resounding victory in 2023, and then last September at Bethpage Black led his team to a seven-point lead going into Sunday singles. It held on to win while coping with a hostile New York crowd.

That prompted U.S. captain Keegan Bradley to say, “I think he’s the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time, Luke Donald."

The 2027 matches — the 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup — will be at Adare Manor in Ireland. Europe has not lost on home soil since 1993.

Now it's up to the Americans to decide who will go up against Donald. Tiger Woods again is the top choice to lead Team USA. Woods turned down the job last time, leading to Bradley being appointed just 14 months before the matches.

Woods has said he hasn't decided whether he has the time to do the job justice. He currently is leading an overhaul of the PGA Tour model. The Associated Press reported last week the PGA of America has encouraged Woods to decide within the month.

Bernhard Gallacher from 1991 through 1995 was the last captain to serve three straight times, winning his last one at Oak Hill.

Donald was seen as an obvious choice for 2027, part of that a product of LIV Golf because of other potential captains — Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell — who are with LIV. Justin Rose had said at the start of the year he was more interested in playing for the 2027 team. Francesco Molinari was viewed as another option.

“History is obviously important to me. As a team, as Ryder Cup Europe, we all play for history," the 48-year-old Donald said. "We talk about it a lot, about the guys who paved the way for us and the responsibility we have to inspire next generations. But I don’t think I have ever thought about history through a personal lens. I just try to enjoy the journey and the day-to-day work to create an environment that gives the players the opportunity for success. That is what I focus on.”

Walter Hagen was a winning captain four times for the Americans, while Ben Hogan led the U.S. team to three victories, though neither was in successive matches and those occurred in an era of U.S. dominance before Europe was part of the Ryder Cup.

Tony Jacklin was European captain three times, and his players left with the gold trophy all three times. The last one in 1989 was a tie, and Europe retained the Ryder Cup as the defending champion. At stake for Donald is the first to win outright three straight times.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

FILE - Europe's captain Luke Donald poses with the trophy after winning the Ryder Cup golf tournament against the United States on the Bethpage Black golf course, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)