The militia led by Curi who controls the north-eastern Syria has agreed on Monday to merge with the new government of the country, marking a great turning point for Damascus in its efforts to unify a country that continues to fight with violent turbulence.
The agreement, announced by the office of the Presidency of Syria and signed by both sides, established that the Syrian democratic forces supported by the United States would have integrated “all civil and military institutions” in the new Syrian state by the end of the year, including its precious oil and gas fields.
The agreement also asked the SDF to help Damascus fight the remains of the Assad regime and outlined “the rights of all Syrians in representation and participation in the political process”, due to the new leadership of Syria to form an inclusive government after years of sectarian struggle.
The times of the agreement, which arrived among violent clashes in the coastal region of Syria who left more than 1,300 people dead, reported a moment of recovery for the new provisional president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shara.
Since the rebel coalition led by Mr. Al-Shara overturned the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, the new government has tried to unify the complex network of rebel groups that operate through the most powerful Syria-the-led forces of Kurish in the north-east of oil rich in oil. However, the security situation remained unstable and the Kurdish militia was among the most difficult groups to bring under the crease of the new government.
The new Government of Syria has ordered all the armed groups of the country to dissolve and in recent weeks several prominent militias have agreed to work with the new authorities, but it is not clear if all those militias have still fully integrated into a single national army under the Al-Shara authority.
Skepticism remains on the extraordinary promises of the new leadership of creating an inclusive government. As a rebellious leader, Al-Shara commanded an reinforced group an allied time with Al Qaeda, and the skeptics wonders if he had given up his former jihadist opinions.
For years, the militia led by Kurdish has been the main American partner in the fight in Syria against the Islamic State, and has made territorial earnings fought in the midst of the country’s civil war, to the extent that it now manages a state of fact in the north-east of Syria.
The group has long tried to position itself as the protectors of the Syrian Kurds, which represent about 10 percent of the country’s population. It also provides safety in the detention camps that host thousands of members of the Islamic State and their families.
But among the growing uncertainty about Washington’s role in the region, experts said that Kurds’ forces have probably recognized that their negotiation position was eroding. The American support for the Kurdish militia was crucial for its finances, but President Trump has not yet committed himself to continuing to support the group on which the United States spent about $ 186 million in 2024.
Despite Monday’s turning point, there were some questions that have been left unanswered.
For one, it was not unclear if the SDF would have been allowed to operate as a distinct military block within the armed forces of Syria, a critical point in the recent negotiations that the government has previously rejected. It was also not clear how exactly the request for “a ceased on all the Syrian territories” would have been performed as established in the agreement.
Also on Monday, the fighting continued to infuriate in the North-East among the Kurdish guidance forces and the armed groups supported by Turkey, a close ally and supporter of the new Damascus government.
Turkey has long seen the SDF as an extension of the Kurdish separatist insurgents within Turkey who fought the Turkish state for four decades, but who recently announced that they would give up on that struggle. Between dramatic changes in the political panorama of Syria, many Kurds have become unconscious by the perspective of ending up worse under a government supported by their longtime enemy, Turkey.
But as soon as the news of the agreement broke out, the people in the north -est of Syria gathered on the streets, shooting in the air to celebrate. Particularly raised-enthusiastic and Arabic agreement in the region led by Kurish who worried about months that their area could be attacked not only by Turkey and its delegates, but also by the central government.
“I am very happy because of the agreement between Damascus and the SDF, but we want to be sure that Damascus guarantees our rights,” said Faisal Ahmed, 40 years old, an Arab that sat to drinking tea in the northern city of Qamishli.
Like many who live in the north -est of Syria and were happy with the news, he said that the lack of clarity on the details left him uncertain about who would keep the area safe from the attacks of Türkiye.
“If Damascus is seriously intent on becoming friends, then they should prevent the Turkish groups from attacking us,” he said.
Naleen Mohammed, 35 years old, a Kurdish, said he accepted the announcement, in particular now that the unrest were wrapping the coastal region of Syria, the heart of the country’s Alawites, another minority group. The Alawiti played a leading role in the Assad regime and feared punishment since he fell.
“It is very nice to have an agreement with Damascus – much better than fighting with them,” he said. “We can see what’s going on in Latakia with Alawiti, they are killing people and we don’t want this to happen in our area.”
Alissa J. Rubin Contributed relationships.