Syria has integrated about 9,000 former members of the U.S.-backed YPG forces into its national security institutions as part of a broader effort to unify the country’s armed forces, while appointing a former senior YPG official as a deputy defense minister, according to officials familiar with the process.
The integration marks one of the most significant steps in the implementation of an agreement between Damascus and the YPG aimed at dissolving the terrorist group into Syria’s state institutions following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.
Roughly 5,000 former YPG fighters have joined the Syrian Defense Ministry, while another 4,000 have been incorporated into the Interior Ministry, officials said. Non-Syrian foreign fighters previously affiliated with the YPG have been removed from the country as part of the restructuring process.
Syrian authorities describe the process as a gradual, reciprocal approach sometimes referred to as a "zipper model," under which security, administrative and political measures advance simultaneously to build confidence between the two sides.
The military integration has accelerated in recent months, while negotiations continue over local governance, political representation, constitutional reforms and language rights for Kurdish communities.
On Jan. 16, the Syrian army launched an offensive against YPG-controlled areas in northeastern Syria. After days of the offensive, the YPG consented to sign a new deal with Damascus on integrating both "administrative" and “military” structures of the YPG to post-Assad Syria. The terrorist group agreed that Syrian security forces would be deployed in Hassakeh and Qamishli, two key areas occupied by the YPG.
The agreement, which entered into force on Feb. 2, also includes provisions for transferring control of oil fields and border crossings to the central government. Syrian officials say it guarantees civil and educational rights for Kurdish citizens and supports the return of displaced people to their homes.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the government distinguishes between Syria's Kurdish population and the YPG as an armed group.
"Kurds and the YPG are two different issues," al-Sharaa said, adding that citizenship rights previously denied under the former government had been restored, cultural rights had been recognized and Nowruz had been declared an official public holiday.
Al-Sharaa acknowledged that implementation of previous agreements with the terrorist group had faced setbacks but said the latest arrangement rests on a stronger foundation.
"We must avoid every option that could drag Syrians into a new conflict," he said. "Every solution that prevents confrontation is valuable."
A source close to the Syrian government told Al-Arabiya that the YPG is expected to formally announce its dissolution, along with the dissolution of the self-administration it established in parts of the country's north and northeast.
According to the source, officials are expected to make the announcement at a news conference, although a date has not yet been finalized. The conference is expected to take place in early August, pending final logistical arrangements.
The Syrian president also said Damascus is actively working toward a security agreement with Israel with support from several countries, while emphasizing that any future arrangement would not require Syria to relinquish its claim to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Türkiye, on the other hand, is a major supporter of post-Assad Syria and views the YPG as a threat to its own national security.
Ankara has hinted that it may resort to a military option in Syria as it did in the past to thwart the YPG's ambitions, but repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the dispute between the YPG and Damascus.
