The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces have reached an agreement to extend a fragile ceasefire into a permanent truce, laying a framework for integrating Kurdish forces into the state and ending nearly a month of fighting.
The agreement on Friday appeared to resolve escalating tensions between the two sides over the question of Kurdish autonomy in north-east Syria and paved a way for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to join Syria’s new army through negotiations, rather than battle.
It also was a milestone for Damascus, which has sought to extend its control over the entirety of Syria’s territory, which for 14-years was carved up by competing militias and powers. The SDF had previously controlled about a quarter of the country and all of its main oilfields, constituting a significant challenge to the fledgling state’s rule.
It came after Syrian government forces swept through north-east Syria, aided by the Arab and tribal elements, shrinking the territory controlled by the SDF by about 80%. The SDF chose mainly to withdraw from Arab-majority areas but were preparing to defend Kurdish-majority cities from government forces, when the deal was struck on Friday.
Under the agreement, both sides would pull their fighters back from frontlines in north-east Syria and government security forces would enter the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, the strongholds of the Kurdish authority.The SDF would integrate into the army, and the Syrian state would absorb the civilian institutions of the Kurdish authority.
A new military brigade in the Syrian army would be formed, which would include three SDF brigades, as well as placing SDF fighters under government command in Aleppo.
The Kurdish authority has operated as a de-facto autonomous zone for about a decade, with its own governing institutions and armed forces. Under Friday’s agreement, the scope of its autonomy shrinks significantly and would be replaced by unitary rule from Damascus.
In a bid to reassure Kurds, one of Syria’s largest ethnic minorities, the deal also included “civil and educational rights for the Kurdish people, and guaranteeing the return of the displaced to their areas”.
The agreement read: “The agreement aims to unify the Syrian territories and achieve the full integration process in the region by enhancing cooperation between the concerned parties and unifying efforts to rebuild the country.”
The deal was praised by Tom Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria, who had been intensely mediating between the two sides over the last two weeks to stave off a full-scale war. He called it a “profound and historic milestone”.
Barrack said in a post on X on Friday: “This carefully negotiated step, building on earlier frameworks and recent efforts to de-escalate tensions, reflects a shared commitment to inclusion, mutual respect and the collective dignity of all Syrian communities.”
Friday’s agreement was more favorable to the Kurdish authority than previous ceasefire deals, and appears to have resulted from intensive diplomacy from the US and France, both of which maintain good relations from both sides. It also spelled a virtual end to the Kurdish-autonomous project of north-east Syria, but with relatively little bloodshed.
