2.8.2. Territorial control and main armed actors

Territorial control in Raqqa governorate changed during the reporting period. In November 2025, ISW and CTP mapped the governorate as divided between the Syrian Transitional Government in the south, the SDF in the centre, and the SNA in the north.880 By mid-February 2026, however, the Syrian Transitional Government had taken over control of the entire governorate, with the exception of a very small area in the north-western corner, controlled by the SDF.881 ISW identified the 60^th, 66^th and 86^th Division of the Syrian army as the principal formations present in Raqqa governorate.882

As part of a broader military confrontation aimed at extending control over north-eastern Syria, the Syrian army took control of Raqqa governorate on 17 January 2026.883 The swift takeover was reportedly possible because local armed actors and tribes supported the offensive against the SDF.884 On 18 January, the Syrian government and the SDF signed a ceasefire and ‘full integration’ agreement. The agreement provided, among other measures, for all civilian and military institutions in Raqqa governorate to be incorporated into Syrian state institutions.885 On 30 January, the two parties announced a further agreement bringing previously continuing hostilities to a halt, as part of which the SDF relinquished control of Raqqa without conditions.886 As for the role of the Syrian National Army (SNA), although the SNA was formally dissolved at the January 2025 ‘Victory Conference’, former SNA factions were reportedly still significant actors in northern Syria’s security environment.887