A breakthrough in Syria. The Kurds give up control and enter the state structures

The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls an autonomous zone in northern Syria, announced a comprehensive agreement with the country's authorities, under which the Kurdish armed forces and administration will be gradually incorporated into the structures of the Syrian state.

According to the SDF statement, government forces will be deployed in two cities currently controlled by the Kurds, Al-Hasakah and Al-Qamishli. A new army brigade will also be created, consisting of three SDF brigades.

Local the institutions of the Kurdish government, which has operated de facto autonomously for years, and their employees are to be integrated with state institutions.

The agreement also includes “civil and educational rights for the Kurdish people and a guarantee of the return of displaced persons to their lands,” the statement said. The agreement aims to “unite the territories of Syria and achieve a full integration process in the region by strengthening cooperation between the parties concerned and uniting efforts to rebuild the country.”

The SDF lost most of the territory it controlled in northeastern Syria in an offensive by government forces after intense clashes broke out in the northern city of Aleppo on January 6, after months of unsuccessful negotiations on the implementation of the integration agreement.

Since the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the new authorities have been trying to regain control over the entire territory after nearly 14 years of civil war. An agreement was reached in March to link the SDF with Damascus, but it proved unsustainable.

The United States, which supported the SDF while the group was fighting fighters of the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS), became closer to the authorities in Damascus and did not intervene militarily in the fighting between government forces and the Kurds. They limited themselves to putting pressure on both sides of the conflict to reach an agreement. (PAP)

os/ akl/