Syria's Kurds face a turning point as the US shifts support to Damascus.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), long a key US ally against the extremist "Islamic State" group, are losing territory to advancing Syrian government troops.

In strongholds like Qamishli, volunteers patrol the streets as pressure grows to accept President Ahmad al-Sharaa's demand for state control.

Key oil fields and IS detention sites have already fallen, while the US has urged a deal to avoid renewed conflict.