Residents of Mansoura town west of Raqqa declared the town liberated from SDF militias between 5:16 PM and 5:45 PM UTC on January 17, 2026, with SDF remnants holed up in the town's dam, as Syrian army forces began entering Al-Sabkha village in Raqqa countryside, according to Raqqa_SL and syrianFactCheck on X. Raqqa_SL reported that the people of Mansoura announced the town's liberation from SDF militia, specifying that SDF members remaining are confined to the dam area. SyrianFactCheck stated a large number of villages in Raqqa countryside were liberated by their residents ahead of Syrian army arrival, during the same period. Omar_alharir issued an urgent warning to Tabqa city residents not to leave their homes due to indiscriminate sniper targeting of civilians by Kurdistan Workers’ Party militias following an attack on their headquarters in the city, posted on X within the reporting window. These developments follow Syrian army and tribal forces achieving entrance into Mansoura and capturing nearby villages including Al-Ghanim Al-Ali and Huneyda earlier on January 17, as reported in previous updates citing QalaatAlMudiq and BarracudaVol1 on X. U.S. Representative Michael McCaul expressed concern over Syrian government advances against Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo, reminding of Caesar Act repeal requirements to protect ethnic minorities and uphold March 10 integration agreements with SDF, urging immediate de-escalation, according to his statement on X.
