Syria’s interim president signs deal with Kurdish-led SDF to merge forces

CAIRO – The Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of Syria’s oil-rich north-east, signed a deal with the Damascus government on March 10 to join Syria’s new state institutions, the Syrian presidency said.

Photos showed Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi shaking hands in Damascus on the agreement that provides for SDF-controlled civilian and military institutions in north-east Syria to be integrated with the state.

The accord came at a critical moment as Mr Sharaa grappled with the fallout from mass killings of Alawite minority members in western Syria – violence that he said on March 10 threatened his effort to unite Syria after 14 years of conflict.

In December 2024, insurgents toppled the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a member of the country's Alawite minority who fled to long-time supporter Russia.

The agreement signed on March 10 calls for SDF-controlled border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields in eastern Syria to become part of the Damascus administration.

In his first official comment following the signing of the accord, Mr Abdi said in a post on X that the deal represents a “real opportunity to build a new Syria”.

He said the SDF was working together with the Syrian administration at “such a critical period” to guarantee a transitional phase that reflects the aspirations of the Syrian people for justice and stability.

Implementation is due by the end of 2025, but the accord does not specify how SDF’s military operation will be integrated into Syria’s defence ministry, a major sticking point in talks thus far.

The deal also commits the SDF to combating remnants of Dr Assad’s regime. The Islamist-led authorities in Damascus have accused Assad loyalists of sowing civil strife in western Syria.    

The violence in the west was Mr Sharaa’s biggest test since he seized power. A war monitor reported hundreds of civilians killed in Alawite villages since March 6 as government forces sought to crush what they described as an insurrection.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 9 condemned the killings.

“The massacres have weakened Sharaa. He has a lot of trouble internally and with the United States. It could help him show that he is not hostile to all minorities,” said Mr Aron Lund, a fellow at US-based think-tank Century International, describing the agreement as vague.

In a Reuters interview on March 10, Mr Sharaa promised to punish those responsible, including his own allies if necessary.

For Mr Abdi, the agreement is a hedge against the risk of US President Donald Trump suddenly withdrawing US forces, which have supported the SDF for a decade to counter Islamic State in Syria, Mr Lund added.

Mr Abdi had wanted the SDF to join the defence ministry as a bloc rather than individuals – an idea the interim government rejected.

The SDF has been in conflict with Turkey-backed Syrian armed groups in northern Syria for years – a conflict that has rumbled on since Dr Assad was toppled.

There was no immediate comment on the deal from Turkey, which is a close ally of Mr Sharaa. REUTERS