CENTCOM demands a halt to offensive actions as government forces push beyond agreed lines, seizing Tabqa airbase and oil fields.
WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (January 17, 2026) – The United States has urgently called on the Syrian government to halt its military advance into Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, warning that the escalation threatens the region’s fragile stability.
CENTCOM Warning On Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief, General Brad Cooper, issued a stern statement urging Syrian troops to “cease any offensive actions” in the corridor between Aleppo and the town of Tabqa. “Aggressively pursuing stability requires teamwork, not betrayal of agreements,” the statement read.
The Trigger The warning follows a rapid advance by the Syrian Army. While the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to withdraw from the town of Deir Hafer as a goodwill gesture, they accused government forces of violating the deal by pushing further east. Reports confirm that Syrian troops have seized the Tabqa military airport and key oil fields west of the Euphrates, areas that were not part of the initial withdrawal pact.
US Envoy Tom Barrack has reportedly traveled to Erbil to meet with Kurdish leaders in an attempt to salvage the situation and prevent a full-scale conflict between the new Syrian government and the US-backed SDF.
