The Syrian Democratic Forces targeted Tabqa city and bombed Syrian Arab Army positions near Ain Issa in northern Raqqa countryside with rocket launchers, while clashing with the army in the Bakman area on the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Hasakah border, between 5:16 PM and 5:45 PM UTC on January 18, 2026, according to reports from Zaino Yasser Mahamid on Telegram. The SDF's Tabqa Military Council page renamed itself the Ministry of Defence in Tabqa and switched allegiance to the central government during this period, as stated by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi on X. SyriaInsiderr on X reported that the Syrian Army arrested a large number of Turkey-born and Turkish citizens who are members of the PKK/SDF terrorist organization. These clashes follow a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and SDF commended by the United States earlier on January 18, including terms for SDF integration into state institutions, as previously reported by USAMBTurkiye on X and QalaatAlMudiq on X.
