Syrian government releases 232 SDF fighters in latest prisoner exchange

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian government on Friday released 232 fighters affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as part of an ongoing prisoner exchange agreement between Damascus and the autonomous administration, reuniting hundreds of families across northeast Syria (Rojava).

The freed detainees, who had spent months in Syrian government prisons, arrived in the northeastern city of Hasaka in convoys of vehicles, where emotional crowds gathered to welcome them home.

The exchange stems from a landmark January 29 agreement between the SDF and Damascus, brokered with significant mediation by the United States through Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, alongside Kurdish political figures from the Kurdistan Region.

The deal came after tensions escalated sharply in mid-January, when Syrian government forces and allied armed groups captured areas previously controlled by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasaka provinces.

Families rushed to embrace their loved ones after months of uncertainty and separation.

Among those released was Kurdish fighter Eymen Mohammed Emin, who reunited with his two children after three months and 20 days in detention.

“I missed my little daughter so much,” Emin said.

Under the January agreement, both sides committed to a permanent ceasefire and to integrating civil and military institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state. The accord also outlined a phased prisoner exchange and broader integration measures, including the formation of three SDF brigades within the Syrian army.

Of the roughly 1,070 SDF-linked detainees previously held by Damascus, around 800 have now been released, according to officials.

“The remaining detainees will also be released soon,” Hasaka governor Nour al-Din Ahmed said. “However, the process has not yet been completed and no date has been set.”

Despite the celebrations, many families continued searching for missing relatives and answers about loved ones still believed to be imprisoned.

One woman, holding a photograph of her brother, told Rudaw her family had long believed he was dead.

“My brother was arrested in Sheikh Maqsoud [a neighborhood in Aleppo]. We even held a funeral for him because we were told he had been martyred, but now we have learned that he is alive and in prison,” she said.

Some relatives approached the newly freed prisoners with desperate questions about missing family members, asking: “Did you see our son? Was he with you in prison?”

Former detainee Raman Mihyedin said prisoners endured harsh conditions during their captivity.

“We knew the Kurds would not abandon us,” Mihyedin told Rudaw. Asked about their treatment in prison, he added: “Their treatment of us was not good.”

Families of those still detained said their relief would remain incomplete until every prisoner is returned.

“Thanks be to God, praise be to God, but our joy will not be complete until everyone returns and all the others are released,” said the mother of one detainee.

Neither the Syrian government nor the SDF has disclosed how many prisoners remain in custody.

Viviyan Fetah contributed to this article from Hasaka, Syria.