Al-Hasakah, northeastern Syria General Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced on Monday that a preliminary agreement has been reached with the Syrian interim government regarding the integration of SDF forces into the Syrian army.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Abdi stated that a preliminary agreement had been reached on the mechanism for integrating the SDF into the ministries of defense and interior of the interim government. He added that talks are currently ongoing in Damascus between representatives of the interim government and an SDF committee.
Last Saturday, Abdi had said that meetings with the interim government had resulted in initial understandings on a number of political, military, and security files, including a ceasefire, decentralization, force integration, and the return of displaced persons.
He emphasized that the recent visits to northern and eastern Syria by U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack and Central Command leader Admiral Brad Cooper were intended to reaffirm continued international cooperation with the SDF. Abdi also noted that the SDF had expressed support for lifting the “Caesar Act” during the recent meeting in Al-Hasakah with the U.S. delegation.
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Abdi explained that meetings held in Al-Hasakah and Damascus also discussed the transitional government’s participation in counterterrorism efforts. He held a series of direct meetings in Damascus, including separate sessions with the interim government’s Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, and Syrian intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama, during which the sides agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire while confirming ongoing high-level dialogue.
The commander indicated that talks had made tangible progress regarding decentralization. He noted that while there is general agreement on the principle, disagreements remain over the interpretation of certain terms.
Abdi confirmed that a delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria will soon visit several Syrian provinces, according to Ronahi TV, which is affiliated with the administration.
Last Friday, he reaffirmed that a military committee will soon travel to Damascus to discuss integration into the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Speaking at the tenth anniversary of the SDF, Abdi stated that the committee would discuss how SDF forces could be integrated into the Syrian army.
He added that SDF counterterrorism units would continue to fight ISIS across all Syrian territories.
On March 10, Abdi signed an eight-point agreement with the interim Syrian president, stipulating the integration of civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the Syrian state, including border crossings, oil and gas fields, and Qamishli Airport.
