logo
Kurdish military chief meets with Syrian leader, US envoy

Kurdish military chief meets with Syrian leader, US envoy

The Sun09-07-2025
DAMASCUS: A Kurdish military commander met with Syria's leader in Damascus on Wednesday in the presence of a US envoy to discuss stalled efforts to integrate the country's autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state.
Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) -- the Kurdish administration's de facto army -- and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa first struck an accord for integration in March with US backing, but its implementation has been held up by differences between the two parties.
The Kurds, who control vast swathes of territory in Syria's north, including oil and gas fields, have demanded a decentralised system of governance, which the new Islamist authorities in Damascus have rejected.
'A meeting is taking place between a delegation led by the chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, and the Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa,' a Kurdish Syrian official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, was also attending.
The delegations were expected to discuss 'the relationship between the autonomous administration and the government in Damascus, as well as economic and military issues', the official said.
The powerful US-backed SDF spearheaded the offensive that ultimately led to the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group in Syria.
Sharaa, whose forces led the offensive that toppled former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad after more than 13 years of civil war, has called for the dissolution of all militant groups in Syria.
In an interview in May, Abdi emphasised the need for a 'decentralised Syria where all its components live with their full rights', an outcome he accused Syria's new authorities of opposing.
The same month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani warned that delaying the integration of the autonomous Kurdish administration could 'open the door to foreign interference, and fuel separatist tendencies'. – AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Syria, Israel agree to continue talks after Paris meeting
Syria, Israel agree to continue talks after Paris meeting

The Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Sun

Syria, Israel agree to continue talks after Paris meeting

SYRIAN and Israeli officials agreed to meet again after no final accord was reached in U.S.-mediated talks in Paris on de-escalating the conflict in southern Syria, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Saturday, citing a diplomatic source. The source described the dialogue as 'honest and responsible', in the first confirmation from the Syrian side that talks had taken place. On Friday, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said officials from both countries spoke about de-escalating the situation in Syria during the talks on Thursday. Representatives from the Syrian foreign ministry and intelligence officials were in attendance, Syria's Ekhbariya reported. Hundreds of people have been reported killed in clashes in the southern Syrian province of Sweida between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces. Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said was mass killings of Druze by government forces. Last week's clashes underlined the challenges interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa faces in stabilising Syria and maintaining centralised rule, despite warming ties with the U.S. and his administration's evolving security contacts with Israel. The diplomatic source said the meeting involved initial consultations aimed at 'reducing tensions and opening channels of communication amid an ongoing escalation since early December'. The Syrian side held Israel responsible for the latest escalation, saying that the continuation of such 'hostile policies' was threatening the region, according to the source. The Syrian delegation also said that Damascus would not accept 'imposing new realities on the ground'. - Reuters

Tunisians protest aginst President Saied, call country an ‘open-air prison'
Tunisians protest aginst President Saied, call country an ‘open-air prison'

The Star

time18 hours ago

  • The Star

Tunisians protest aginst President Saied, call country an ‘open-air prison'

Protesters rally against Tunisian President Kais Saied on the fourth anniversary of his power grab, in Tunis, Tunisia, July 25, 2025. Demonstrators denounced Saied's rule as authoritarian, calling the country an "open-air prison" and demanding the release of jailed opposition figures, journalists, and activists. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui TUNIS (Reuters) -Hundreds of Tunisian activists protested in the capital on Friday against President Kais Saied, denouncing his rule as an "authoritarian regime" that has turned the country into an 'open-air prison'. Under the slogan 'The Republic is a large prison,' protesters marched along Habib Bourguiba Avenue. They demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, journalists, and activists. The protest marked the fourth anniversary of Saied's power grab. In 2021, he dissolved the elected parliament and started ruling by decree, a move the opposition called a coup. They chanted slogans such as 'no fear, no terror ... streets belong to the people' and 'The people want the fall of the regime'. The protesters said Tunisia under Saied has descended into authoritarianism, with mass arrests and politically motivated trials silencing dissent. "Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore the democracy and to demand the release of the political detainees," Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, told Reuters. In 2022, Saied dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move the opposition said was aimed to cement one-man rule. Saied said he does not interfere in the judiciary, but no one is above accountability, regardless of their name or position. Most prominent opposition leaders are in prison, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist Ennahda party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party. They are among dozens of politicians, lawyers, and journalists facing lengthy prison sentences under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws. Others have fled the country, seeking asylum in Western countries. In 2023, Saied said the politicians were "traitors and terrorists" and that judges who would acquit them were their accomplices. "Prisons are crowded with Saied's opponents, activists, journalists," said Saib Souab, son of Ahmed Souab, the imprisoned lawyer Ahmed Souab who is a critical voice of Saied. "Tunisia has turned into an open-air prison. ... Even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, constantly at risk of arrest for any reason.", he added. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by David Gregorio)

France's highest court rules arrest warrant for ex-Syrian leader Assad is invalid
France's highest court rules arrest warrant for ex-Syrian leader Assad is invalid

The Star

timea day ago

  • The Star

France's highest court rules arrest warrant for ex-Syrian leader Assad is invalid

FILE PHOTO: A billboard with a picture of Syria's Bashar al-Assad shows damage by bullet holes, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo PARIS (Reuters) -France's Cour de Cassation, the country's highest court, ruled on Friday that a warrant issued for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was invalid. (Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Writing by Makini Brice)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store