"In order for this war not to turn into civil war... we accepted to withdraw from the Deir Ezzor and Raqa regions to Hasakeh," Abdi, head of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, said in a statement broadcast by Kurdish television channel Ronahi.

He said he would explain the deal in detail to Syria's Kurds after returning from Damascus, where he is expected to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday.