Explainer-Damascus brings more of Syria under its control as US policy shifts

FILE PHOTO: Military members gather near Raqqa prison, where the Syrian army is besieging SDF members after the army took control of the city of Raqqa, Syria January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano/File Photo

Jan 22 (Reuters) - The Syrian government has retaken swathes of northern and eastern ‌Syria from Kurdish forces, consolidating President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule nearly 14 months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled.

The rapid turn of events has brought almost all of Syria back ‌under the authority of the central Damascus-based state following years of civil war that fractured the country, and puts a spotlight on shifting U.S. policy.