Syria’s government and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive deal on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds’ military and civilian institutions into the state, a step Washington described as a “historic milestone”.In recent weeks, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have ceded vast areas of Arab-majority land to government forces.It was territory they held for years, having seized it in fierce battles against the Islamic State jihadist group during a campaign backed by a US-led coalition.The new deal, the text of which was released by both sides, “seeks to unify Syrian territory and achieve the full integration” of the Kurdish-majority region.It maintains an ongoing ceasefire and introduces a “gradual integration” of the Kurdish forces and administrative institutions.The anti-IS campaign made the SDF a key partner of Washington, but since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, the United States has drawn close to the new authorities in Damascus.The US has recently declared the need for its Kurdish alliance largely over, and has sought to mediate talks between the government and the Kurds. The new agreement, announced by both the SDF and Syrian state television, follows an understanding reached earlier this month on the future of the majority-Kurdish areas of Hasakeh province and the town of Kobane.It appears to include at least some of the Kurds’ demands, like the establishment of brigades of SDF fighters in Kurdish-majority areas.Damascus had previously rejected the idea of ethnically based military units.In a video conference Friday, Kurdish politician and key negotiator Elham Ahmad said the new deal enforces a “permanent ceasefire”.She added that the US and France were the guarantors of the deal, but talks were ongoing over the details of the integration process.Raman Sido, a resident of the Kurdish city of Qamishli, said the deal’s main benefit was that it would “defuse the Kurdish-Arab tension and eliminate the looming spectre of conflict”.But he warned that it still lacked clarity on implementation and the system of administration.- Government control -During Syria’s civil war, the Kurds were able to carve out a de facto autonomous region that expanded as they advanced against IS.While Kurdish forces had tried to protect their gains, Syria’s new Islamist authorities want to extend state control across the country.Talks between the two began swiftly after Assad was forced out, but progress stalled and there were repeated bouts of violence, culminating in the recent army offensive.Syria’s state media quoted a government source as saying that according to the new deal, “the state will assume control over all civilian and governmental institutions, as well as (border) crossings”.”No part of the country will remain outside its control,” the source added. For years, Kurdish forces have controlled long stretches of the border with Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east. With several crossings closed, most traffic passed through one main gateway with Iraqi Kurdistan.The deal lays out the integration of three SDF brigades into the Syrian army in the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh.Another brigade will be created for the pocket of Kobane — once a symbol of Kurdish fighters’ victory against IS — which is around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Hasakeh.The deal also involves the integration of administrative institutions into those of the Syrian state and the retention of existing employees.- ‘Vague on core questions’ -Lars Hauch, an expert on Syria at Conflict Mediation Solutions, told AFP that the deal “suggests that remnants of the SDF will continue to exist for the time being, but the text remains vague on core questions of administrative and security decentralisation”. “Rather than a done deal, this looks more like an advanced memorandum of understanding, whose sequencing and specifics will need to be negotiated in what has been a largely performative process in the past.” US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on X that the deal was a “historic milestone” that “reflects a shared commitment to inclusion, mutual respect, and the collective dignity of all Syrian communities”.But Ahmad, the Kurdish politician, said Washington had “played a negative role” by deeming the SDF’s mission against IS to be over, adding she hoped the US would “play a fair role for everyone in Syria”.French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal and said France supported its full implementation.But some Kurds remained wary.Shop owner Abu Ali, 40, who withheld his full name, told AFP “we don’t trust this government”, pointing to massacres blamed on government forces against other minorities last year.”Look at what they did in Sweida, and the coast,” he said.
Syria’s government and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive deal on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds’ military and civilian institutions into the state, a step Washington described as a “historic milestone”.In recent weeks, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have ceded vast areas of Arab-majority land to government forces.It was territory they held for years, having seized it in fierce battles against the Islamic State jihadist group during a campaign backed by a US-led coalition.The new deal, the text of which was released by both sides, “seeks to unify Syrian territory and achieve the full integration” of the Kurdish-majority region.It maintains an ongoing ceasefire and introduces a “gradual integration” of the Kurdish forces and administrative institutions.The anti-IS campaign made the SDF a key partner of Washington, but since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, the United States has drawn close to the new authorities in Damascus.The US has recently declared the need for its Kurdish alliance largely over, and has sought to mediate talks between the government and the Kurds. The new agreement, announced by both the SDF and Syrian state television, follows an understanding reached earlier this month on the future of the majority-Kurdish areas of Hasakeh province and the town of Kobane.It appears to include at least some of the Kurds’ demands, like the establishment of brigades of SDF fighters in Kurdish-majority areas.Damascus had previously rejected the idea of ethnically based military units.In a video conference Friday, Kurdish politician and key negotiator Elham Ahmad said the new deal enforces a “permanent ceasefire”.She added that the US and France were the guarantors of the deal, but talks were ongoing over the details of the integration process.Raman Sido, a resident of the Kurdish city of Qamishli, said the deal’s main benefit was that it would “defuse the Kurdish-Arab tension and eliminate the looming spectre of conflict”.But he warned that it still lacked clarity on implementation and the system of administration.- Government control -During Syria’s civil war, the Kurds were able to carve out a de facto autonomous region that expanded as they advanced against IS.While Kurdish forces had tried to protect their gains, Syria’s new Islamist authorities want to extend state control across the country.Talks between the two began swiftly after Assad was forced out, but progress stalled and there were repeated bouts of violence, culminating in the recent army offensive.Syria’s state media quoted a government source as saying that according to the new deal, “the state will assume control over all civilian and governmental institutions, as well as (border) crossings”.”No part of the country will remain outside its control,” the source added. For years, Kurdish forces have controlled long stretches of the border with Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east. With several crossings closed, most traffic passed through one main gateway with Iraqi Kurdistan.The deal lays out the integration of three SDF brigades into the Syrian army in the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh.Another brigade will be created for the pocket of Kobane — once a symbol of Kurdish fighters’ victory against IS — which is around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Hasakeh.The deal also involves the integration of administrative institutions into those of the Syrian state and the retention of existing employees.- ‘Vague on core questions’ -Lars Hauch, an expert on Syria at Conflict Mediation Solutions, told AFP that the deal “suggests that remnants of the SDF will continue to exist for the time being, but the text remains vague on core questions of administrative and security decentralisation”. “Rather than a done deal, this looks more like an advanced memorandum of understanding, whose sequencing and specifics will need to be negotiated in what has been a largely performative process in the past.” US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on X that the deal was a “historic milestone” that “reflects a shared commitment to inclusion, mutual respect, and the collective dignity of all Syrian communities”.But Ahmad, the Kurdish politician, said Washington had “played a negative role” by deeming the SDF’s mission against IS to be over, adding she hoped the US would “play a fair role for everyone in Syria”.French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal and said France supported its full implementation.But some Kurds remained wary.Shop owner Abu Ali, 40, who withheld his full name, told AFP “we don’t trust this government”, pointing to massacres blamed on government forces against other minorities last year.”Look at what they did in Sweida, and the coast,” he said.
