The Syrian authorities and the main Kurdish armed forces have reached a large-scale integration agreement that should put an end to armed clashes. The agreement provides for the transfer of Kurdish military and civilian structures under the control of the central government after several days of fighting, during which the Syrian army occupied a number of territories, including areas with key oil fields, Reuters reports .
Supporters of the Syrian authorities tear down a Kurdish monument in Raqqa. Photo: AP Photo/Omar Albam
US envoy Tom Barrack called this agreement a turning point, but stressed that there is still difficult work to be done to finalize all the details of full integration.
The terms of the agreement became a serious blow to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who had governed a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria for more than ten years. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi confirmed that his structure had agreed to withdraw forces from two provinces with a predominantly Arab population — Deir-ez-Zor, the country's main oil and grain-producing region, and Raqqa, where important hydroelectric power plants are located on the Euphrates.
Previously, the SDF resisted joining the Islamist government that has ruled Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. The 14-point agreement, published by the presidential administration, was signed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi.
Abdi announced that he plans to meet with al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday and promises to disclose the details of the agreement afterwards. He also emphasized that the Kurdish side seeks to preserve the achievements of its region and noted that the conflict was imposed from outside.
Negotiations on integration lasted several months and were supposed to be completed by the end of 2025, but due to a lack of progress, they escalated into hostilities. The new agreement provides for a cessation of clashes, although they were still ongoing in some areas.
According to the agreement, SDF fighters will be included in the structures of the ministries of defense and internal affairs individually, rather than as entire units. In addition, the central government will gain control over border crossings, oil and gas fields, as well as prisons and camps housing "Islamic State" militants and their families. Damascus plans to take full control of Deir-ez-Zor and Raqqa within the next day or two.
At the same time, the agreement also provides for certain concessions: Kurds will be able to propose candidates for key government positions, and the governor of Al-Hasakah province will be appointed by mutual consent. The SDF also committed to removing all non-Syrians linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, whose center of activity is Turkey, from the region.
Turkey expressed hope that the agreement would contribute to stability and peace in Syria and the entire region. The USA, on the other hand, found itself in a difficult situation between supporting the SDF as a partner in the fight against terrorism and a new course of supporting the central authorities in Damascus.
The situation causes alarm among Kurds due to past instances of sectarian violence, when hundreds of civilians died in various regions of Syria, undermining trust in the new government.
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