The new Syrian government has signed a deal with to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia into the regime, in what is a big step towards uniting the fractured country.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) government has been struggling for legitimacy since it ousted Bashar al-Assad late last year, following more than a decade of civil war in a country riddled with sectarian divisions. The deal recognises the Kurdish minority as “an integral part of the Syrian state” and guarantees “the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process”.
It’s a timely development for the interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The deal follows days of violence in the coastal region of Latakia in the west of the country in which more than 1,000 people – mainly civilians – were killed.
