Syria's Government and Kurdish Forces Stalemated in Military Integration Talks

Syrian Officials Discuss Military Fusion with Kurdish Forces

Syrian government officials have engaged in discussions with the primary commander of the Kurdish-led forces in the country concerning plans for their integration into the national army, according to state media, although no "tangible" results were achieved.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, announced on Sunday that a delegation led by top commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) held talks with government officials in Damascus regarding the military integration process.

A major point of contention was whether the SDF would remain a coherent unit in the new military structure or be dissolved, with its members absorbed individually. The group comprises tens of thousands of fighters and is the main force yet to be integrated into the Syrian army.

State television reported that the meeting did not yield "tangible results" and that both sides agreed to schedule further meetings at a later date. The leadership in Damascus, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, signed an agreement with the SDF in March, which controls large areas of oil-rich northern and northeastern Syria.

The Kurdish coalition was expected to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025, but disagreements have arisen regarding how this integration should occur.

This agreement would also place all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast, under the control of the central government. Prisons housing approximately 9,000 ISIS suspects are also anticipated to come under government control.

Turkey regards the SDF as a "terrorist organization" due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long armed conflict within its territory, although a peace process is currently underway. Ankara perceives the presence of Kurdish forces at its border as a security threat and has publicly demanded their integration into the state, but not as a single unit.

The SDF insists on a decentralized governance system that would allow them to maintain influence in the areas they control, while tensions between the SDF and the government, which opposes calls for decentralization, have occasionally led to violence. At the end of December, clashes occurred between security forces and SDF fighters in the northern city of Aleppo during a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Syria. Last month, Fidan urged the SDF not to become an obstacle to Syria's stability and warned that patience with the group is running thin.