SYRIA-CONFLICT-KURDS

Members of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces known as "Asayish", and residents rally during a demonstration against the attacks by the Syrian government forces and in support of Kurdish fighters in Qamishli, the main Kurdish city in the country's northeast on January 18, 2026. Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Januray 18, from Syria's largest oil field, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country's north and east. The government's push has so far captured Arab-majority areas that came under Kurdish control during the fight against IS, whose defeat in Syria was secured with the help of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP via Getty Images)