Kurdish Leader Announces Breakthrough In Talks With Damascus, But War Seems Closer

Click to see full-size image. (Ronahi TV)

Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said that a “preliminary agreement” on several issues, including a comprehensive ceasefire and the continuation of high-level dialogue, was reached with Syria’s Islamist-led Interim Government.

Abdi made the surprising remarks during an interview with the Kurdish Ronahi TV that was aired on October 11. He said that met separately in Damascus with the Minister of Defense and the head of the intelligence service, noting that there was “an understanding on the principle of decentralization” in governance, with ongoing discussions about the interpretation of related terms.

The SDF leader also met Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during the same visit to Damascus on October 7, according to Agence France-Presse, which reported that the meeting was also attended by United States envoy to Syria Thomas Burke and Commander of Central Command Brad Cooper.

Abdi explained to Ronahi that both sides reached a verbal understanding on integrating the SDF into the Syrian military, adding that the government expressed interest in benefiting from the group’s expertise.

A military committee that includes representatives from the Internal Security Forces will soon head to Damascus to follow up on the details of this file, according to him.

Abdi also revealed that there is “a military and security understanding under discussion,” and that the U.S. has proposed forming a joint force between the SDF and the Syrian military to fight ISIS.

He confirmed the acceptance of a proposal by Washington “to ensure that the fight against the group has a comprehensive national character.”

Regarding the political aspect, Abdi said ongoing understandings aim to include the terms of the “March 10 Agreement” in the new Syrian constitution, indicating that upcoming meetings will be held in Damascus to discuss constitutional amendments.

In addition, Abdi affirmed that the status of Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and al-Hasakah are “linked to the structure of Syria’s future governance,” stressing that withdrawal from these areas is “non-negotiable.” He noted that representatives from Raqqa and Deir Ezzor will participate in the next round of meetings between the two sides.

The meeting in Damascus came following a deadly round of clashes in Aleppo city between the two sides that started when government forces blockaded Kurdish neighborhoods.

In the weeks leading to the clashes, both the SDF and the Syrian military reinforcements along the front, mainly in the town of Deir Hafter, some 40 kilometers to the east of Aleppo.

Following his meeting with Abdi, Syrian Defense Minister, Marhaf Abu Qasra, said on X that they had agreed on “a comprehensive ceasefire across all axes and military deployment points in northern and northeastern Syria,” with “immediate implementation.”

However, both sides exchanged accusations of violations afterwards, with reports suggesting that reinforcements were still brought into the area around Deir Hafer and further to the east and southeast, along the Euphrates River.

Abdi’s recent remarks show a lot of optimism, but the situation on the ground indicates that a battle between the SDF and the government is nearing.

Earlier this year, when tensions between the government and Druze began to mount a similar understanding to integrate members of the community into the military and security forces was announced. However, the government never really moved forward with its side of the agreement, and ended up launching a large-scale attack on al-Suwayda, the heartland of Druze, in July. Thousands were killed in the battle, which drew Israel in.

Even prior to that, soldiers and officers from the former military, including members of the Alawite community, were promised amnesty and even told that some will be welcomed back, but to this day they are still getting killed or arrested on a regular basis in an uncleared revenge campaign.

At the height of the tensions with the SDF, al-Sharaa hinted that the group has until the end of the year to integrate into his government.

Even if a full-on agreement was reached, it is highly unlikely that the government will uphold its part of it. It is, in fact, more likely that the Syrian military is taking advantage of this time to prepare a large-scale attack against the SDF. Abdi for sure does not trust Sharaa, but may be giving peace a chance in order to maintain relations with the U.S.

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