Al-Sharaa, Trump affirm commitment to Syria’s unity, sovereignty
Syrian government forces take possession of an SDF military base as they enter the city of Raqqa, Syria, Jan. 19, 2026. (AFP Photo)


Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump stressed the need to preserve Syria’s unity and territorial integrity during a phone call on Monday, the Syrian presidency said.

During the telephone call, "both sides emphasized the need to guarantee the Kurdish people's rights and protection within the framework of the Syrian state", the statement said, adding that the leaders also "affirmed the importance of preserving the unity and independence of Syrian territory."

The two also agreed to continue cooperation to combat the Daesh terrorist group, the presidency ‌added.

The phone call came after dayslong deadly clashes between the Syrian army and the terrorist PKK/YPG-dominates Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern regions.

On Sunday, the Syrian government signed a sweeping integration deal ‍with the group, though ⁠tensions ‍persisted the following day. The cease-fire deal stipulates that government forces will take wide areas of northeast Syria back from the terror group and the SDF will integrate into government forces.

The SDF, which is allied with the U.S. under the pretext of fighting Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, occupies one-third of Syria’s oil-rich northern regions. It also controls a dozen prisons in the northeast where some 9,000 Daesh terrorists have been held for years. The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

The Syrian army earlier on Monday announced its forces had taken control of al-Shaddadi prison, where Daesh detainees are held. It said it also began operations to secure the area and recapture any fleeing Daesh terrorists after the SDF released Daesh elements.

Al-Sharaa on Friday issued a special decree guaranteeing the cultural, linguistic and civil rights of Kurdish Syrians and recognized Kurdish as a national language.