SDF Commander Abdi commits to political integration with Damascus, but decentralization demands and Turkish warnings complicate the path forward.
DAMASCUS — The commander of Syria’s Kurdish-led forces stated on Thursday that “all efforts” are being made to save a stalled political deal with the central government, following recent deadly clashes that threatened to derail the fragile negotiation process.
Mazloum Abdi, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reaffirmed his commitment to a March agreement with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. The deal aims to integrate the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration in the northeast into the Damascus government.
“All efforts are being made to prevent the collapse of this process,” Abdi said in a statement, adding that he considered failure unlikely. He downplayed the original year-end deadline, noting the agreement “did not specify a time limit for its ending.”
The remarks come days after a ceasefire halted fighting in Aleppo between SDF and Syrian government forces. Abdi stated that both sides continue to work toward a “mutual understanding” on critical issues, including military integration and joint counter-terrorism efforts.
A central obstacle remains the SDF’s demand for a decentralized Syrian state—a model rejected by the Islamist authorities in Damascus who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year.
The negotiations are under significant regional scrutiny, particularly from Turkey. Ankara, a key ally of Syria’s current government, views the Kurdish-led SDF as a security threat along its border. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, visiting Damascus this week, stressed the urgency of the Kurds’ integration, having previously warned that patience with the SDF “is running out.”
The SDF controls large, resource-rich areas of northern and eastern Syria and was the main U.S.-backed ground force in the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in 2019. In a related development, Syria recently joined the international anti-IS coalition and has announced new operations against the jihadist group.
