Latest news with #KurdishForces
Khaleej Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Syria rejects federalism, calls on Kurds to join army ranks
Syria reiterated its rejection of federalism on Wednesday following a meeting with a Kurdish military official, calling on Kurdish forces to join the ranks of government forces. 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. Abdi 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. 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 Kurdish Syrian official said, on condition of anonymity, that a meeting took place on Wednesday between Abdi and Sharaa. The official added that Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, also attended. The delegations were expected to discuss "the relationship between the autonomous (Kurdish) administration and the government in Damascus, as well as economic and military issues", the official said. A Syrian government source told the official Alekhbariah television channel on Wednesday that Damascus remained committed to "the principle of 'One Syria, One Army, One Government', and categorically rejects any form of division or federalisation". "The Syrian army is the national institution that unites all children of the homeland, and the state welcomes the integration of Syrian fighters from the SDF into its ranks within the approved constitutional and legal frameworks," the source said. The source also warned that any delays in implementing integration risked hindering efforts to "restore security and stability to all regions". The US-backed SDF spearheaded the offensive that ultimately led to the territorial defeat of Daesh in Syria. In an interview with Kurdish channel Kurdistan 24, Barrack said that while he recognised the SDF's role in the fight against Daesh, it had to accept the "reality" that "the only future path for them is Damascus". 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 armed 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".
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syria's government and Kurds still at odds over merging forces after latest talks, US envoy says
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A U.S. envoy said Wednesday that Syria's central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging their forces after the latest round of talks, a persistent obstacle as the new authorities in Damascus struggle to consolidate control after the country's yearslong civil war. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also a special envoy to Syria, told The Associated Press after meetings in Damascus, the Syrian capital, that there are still significant differences between the sides. Barrack held talks with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led and U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The development comes after a move by the Trump administration took effect this week, revoking a terrorism designation of the former insurgent group led by al-Sharaa, which was behind a lightning offensive last December that ousted Syria's longtime autocrat Bashar Assad. Revoking the designation was part of a broader U.S. engagement with al-Sharaa's new, transitional government. A deal vague in details In early March, the former insurgents — now the new authorities in Damascus — signed a landmark deal with the SDF, a Kurdish-led force that had fought alongside U.S. troops against the militant Islamic State group and which controls much of northeastern Syria. Under that deal, the SDF forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The agreement, which is supposed be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the northeast under the central government's control. They are now controlled by the SDF. Detention centers housing thousands of Islamic State militants, now guarded by the SDF, would also come under government control. However, the agreement left the details vague, and progress on implementation has been slow. A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army — which the Syrian Kurds are pushing for — or whether the force would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed into the new military. Barrack said that is still 'a big issue' between the two sides. 'Baby steps' 'I don't think there's a breakthrough,' Barrack said after Wednesday's meetings. 'I think these things happen in baby steps, because it's built on trust, commitment and understanding." He added that "for two parties that have been apart for a while and maybe an adversarial relationship for a while, they have to build that trust step by step.' Also, Turkish-backed factions affiliated with the new Syrian government have over the years clashed with the SDF, which Turkey considers a terrorist group because of its association with the Kurdish separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which had waged a decades-long insurgency within Turkey before recently announcing it would lay down its weapons. The United States also considers the PKK a terrorist group but is allied with the SDF. Barrack said that though 'we're not there' yet, Damascus had 'done a great job" in presenting options for the SDF to consider. "I hope they will and I hope they'll do it quickly,' he said. From skepticism to trust A key turning point for Syria came when U.S. President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May and announced that Washington would lift decades of sanctions, imposed over Assad's government. Trump took steps to do so after their meeting and subsequently, the U.S. moved to remove the terrorist designation from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al-Sharaa's force that spearheaded the offensive against Assad. The U.S. played a key role in brokering the deal announced in March between al-Sharaa's government and the SDF and has urged the Syrian Kurdish authorities to integrate with Damascus. Barrack said Washington has 'complete confidence in the Syrian government and the new Syrian government's military,' while the SDF has been a 'valuable partner' in the fight against IS and that the U.S. 'wants to make sure that they have an opportunity ... to integrate into the new government in a respectful way.' The U.S. has begun scaling down the number of troops it has stationed in Syria — there are about 1,300 U.S. forces now — but Barrack said Washington is in 'no hurry' to pull out completely. Prospects of Syria-Israel ties In the interview with the AP, Barrack also downplayed reports of possible breakthroughs in talks on normalizing ties between Syria and Israel. 'My feeling of what's happening in the neighborhood is that it should happen, and it'll happen like unwrapping an onion, slowly ... as the region builds trust with each other,' he said without elaborating. Since Assad's fall, Israel has seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in Syria bordering the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and has launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. Israeli soldiers have also raided Syrian towns outside of the border zone and detained people who they said were militants, sometimes clashing with locals. Israeli officials have said they are taking the measures to guard their border against another cross-border attack like the one launched by the Palestinian militant Hamas group on Oct. 7, 2023 in southern Israel that triggered the latest war in the Gaza Strip.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A US envoy says Syria's central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging forces after latest talks
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A US envoy says Syria's central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging forces after latest talks.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Syria's government and Kurds still at odds over merging forces after latest talks, US envoy says
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A U.S. envoy said on Wednesday that Syria's central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging forces after the latest round of talks. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also a special envoy to Syria, told The Associated Press after meetings in Damascus that differences between the two sides remain. Barrack spoke after meeying with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, and Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in the Syrian capital. In early March, the new authorities in Damascus signed a landmark deal with the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Under that deal, the SDF forces would be merged with the new national army. The agreement, which is supposed be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the northeast under the central government's control. Detention centers housing thousands of suspected members of the Islamic State group would also come under government control. However, the agreement left the details vague, and progress on implementation has been slow. A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army - which the Kurds have pushed for — or whether it would be dissolved and its members absorbed into the new military as individuals. Barrack said that question remains 'a big issue' between the two sides.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Syria's government and Kurds still at odds over merging forces after latest talks, US envoy says
A U.S. envoy said on Wednesday that Syria's central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging forces after the latest round of talks. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also a special envoy to Syria, told The Associated Press after meetings in Damascus that differences between the two sides remain. Barrack spoke after meeying with Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, and Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in the Syrian capital. In early March, the new authorities in Damascus signed a landmark deal with the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Under that deal, the SDF forces would be merged with the new national army. The agreement, which is supposed be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the northeast under the central government's control. Detention centers housing thousands of suspected members of the Islamic State group would also come under government control. However, the agreement left the details vague, and progress on implementation has been slow. A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army - which the Kurds have pushed for — or whether it would be dissolved and its members absorbed into the new military as individuals. Barrack said that question remains 'a big issue' between the two sides.
