Three Kurdish units and a US pledge: How Syria talks might fold SDF fighters into the state, insha'Allah
As-salamu alaykum. There's growing movement in talks between Damascus and Kurdish fighters about folding three militia units into the national army, sources say.
But a recent murky incident that left two Syrian soldiers dead has reminded everyone how fragile the negotiations still are, even while the US is pushing both sides to reach an agreement.
People involved say negotiations are fairly advanced on integrating the US-backed, roughly 40,000-strong Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the post-Assad order without major structural changes. Still, nothing concrete has been signed, and the SDF wants international guarantees before committing, according to Syrian sources.
In the latest flare-up, Syrian authorities blamed the SDF for killing two soldiers on a river front, saying a “guided missile” caused the deaths and wounded another, and accusing the SDF of breaking earlier understandings. The SDF denied that account, saying the soldiers were likely killed by a landmine.
A US-mediated ceasefire on October 7 stopped urban fighting between government forces and fighters linked to the SDF in a Kurdish area of Aleppo. The clashes risked derailing a vague integration accord reached in March between President Ahmad Al Shara and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi. The SDF is largely secular, while the government side is led by a group that split from Al Qaeda years ago.
Two Syrian sources familiar with the talks say informal discussions about carrying out the integration deal have become more serious since October 7, partly because of US pressure. The plan under discussion would organize the SDF into three divisions: Raqqa, Deir Ezzor and Hasakah. Only Hasakah has a large Kurdish population; Raqqa and Deir Ezzor are mostly Arab.
According to the sources, Syrian army officers would share command with former SDF commanders in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, but would have a limited role in Hasakah, where most Kurdish forces would remain. There would also be three SDF counter-terrorism units that Kurdish commanders would keep operational control of.
"This sounds acceptable to Abdi because Kurds would keep significant authority, but he doesn't trust the arrangement would hold," one source said. "He wants clear guarantees from the US and other Western countries." Damascus seems willing to allow Hasakah a de facto share of natural resources like oil, the source added.
The second source warned that even if Damascus shows political will to cede some control, Turkey views any formal recognition of SDF gains over the past decade as a step toward partition, and Ankara remains a major non-Arab backer of the current government.
A continued US military presence in Syria has helped block larger advances by pro-government and Turkish forces into SDF-held areas, unlike heavy offensives elsewhere this year. The new authorities have built regional backing but have struggled to accommodate minorities in the mostly Sunni country.
The US helped form the SDF in 2015 as a local ground force against ISIS, leaving the group in control of areas that include much of Syria's commodity and energy infrastructure. Washington has also tried to maintain ties with the post-Assad leadership.
A regional official following the Kurdish issue warned that if talks collapse, the SDF is likely to pull back to Hasakah, its core base, rather than hold the mostly Arab areas further east. "I don’t see stabilization if that happens," the official said.
May Allah grant wisdom to those negotiating and protect innocent lives. Salam.
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