Euphrates Divide: Syria's Struggle for Control and Unity

The Euphrates River has emerged as a pivotal frontier amid Syria's ongoing conflict, marking the boundary between the Kurdish-controlled east and Islamist factions dominating the west. As U.S. troops consider withdrawal, Kurdish forces express concerns over potential abandonment, adding pressure to ongoing unity talks in Damascus fraught with internal disagreements.

Reuters journalists traversed over 1,800 kilometers across this tense divide, observing a region rife with lawlessness and poised for further conflict. At strategic points along the Euphrates, armed groups stand poised for battle, and despite fractional advancements in unity talks, cross-river hostilities threaten to ignite a more widespread confrontation.

The reality on the ground suggests potential for prolonged division or renewed conflict, as former allies and new challengers jostle for control. With foreign intervention compounding local tensions, the prospects for stability appear increasingly remote in a post-Assad landscape. Syrians caught in the crossfire express a palpable fear of what lies ahead.

(With inputs from agencies.)