Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says

RAQQA, Syria (AP) — Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.

The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by U.S. forces to transfer accused Islamic State militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.

“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.

Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.

Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.

The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.

Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.

A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.

The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.

On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.

The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Islamic State group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.

Earlier this week, the U.S. military said that some 7,000 IS detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.

On Wednesday, the U.S. military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.

Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dance as they are cheered by local residents ahead of the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to head toward the front line ahead of the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are cheered by local residents ahead of the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

A convoy of Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) flashes victory signs as it heads toward the front line ahead of the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are cheered by local residents ahead of the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian security force member looks through documents inside a tunnel used by retreating Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters beneath Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian security force member stands at the entrance of a tunnel used by retreating Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters inside the military hospital compound in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean lawmakers on Thursday passed a law to implement a pledge of $350 billion in U.S. investments Seoul made last year to avoid the Trump administration’s highest tariffs.

Government officials had urged lawmakers to quickly pass the contested bill, submitted in November, as uncertainty mounts for the country’s trade-dependent economy, already rattled by President Donald Trump’s protectionist swing and now fearing the fallout from his war on Iran.

The bill’s passage came hours after the Trump administration increased pressure on trade partners by opening a new investigation into manufacturing in foreign countries, including China and U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, which could result in new import taxes if U.S. officials see their practices as unfair.

Trump and his team have made clear they’re seeking to use new tariffs to recoup lost revenue after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated his sweeping tariffs issued with emergency powers.

China expressed opposition to the move and called for negotiations to resolve any differences. “China opposes any form of unilateral tariff measures,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in Beijing. “Tariff wars and trade wars serve no one’s interests.”

The South Korean law, which passed 226 to 8, calls for establishing a public corporation to manage the promised U.S. investments, including reviewing and selecting projects based on input from South Korean and U.S. trade authorities.

Some lawmakers spoke against the bill ahead of the vote, expressing frustration over Trump’s new trade investigations and the potential impact of the war in the Middle East, which has exposed the vulnerability of South Korea’s export-dependent economy and reliance on imported fuel.

“We cannot be the money machine Trump wants us to be,” said Son Sol, a member of the minor opposition Progressive Party. She said the bill does not give the legislature sufficient power to review and reject investments that could go against South Korean business or public interests.

Following months of tense negotiations, South Korea finalized an agreement with the United States in November to invest $200 billion in U.S. semiconductor and other high-tech industries and another $150 billion in shipbuilding in exchange for Washington lowering reciprocal tariffs on Seoul from 25% to 15%.

The agreement, which followed a breakthrough at an October summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, also caps South Korean investments at $20 billion a year to protect the country’s foreign currency reserves.

Lee’s liberal Democratic Party introduced the legislation in November but faced resistance from opposition lawmakers worried about the economic impact. The legislative holdup frustrated Trump, who in January threatened to raise tariffs on South Korean autos, pharmaceuticals and other goods back to 25%, increasing pressure on the opposition to move the bill forward.

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed.

A crane unloads a container from a truck at the Uiwang ICD Terminal in Uiwang, South Korea, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A crane unloads a container at the Uiwang ICD Terminal in Uiwang, South Korea, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A truck runs by containers at the Uiwang ICD Terminal in Uiwang, South Korea, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Turcks run by containers at the Uiwang ICD Terminal in Uiwang, South Korea, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The National Assembly passes a law to implement hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. investments at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 12 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)