After declaring its dissolution, the terrorist group YPG, once militarily backed by the United States, has started handing over its heavy weapons to the Syrian army.
Syrian troops are receiving weapons in Hassakeh, once a stronghold of the YPG, following a key deal on the group’s integration with the Syrian army.
Among the weapons and equipment handed over to the Syrian army are armored vehicles, tanks, mortars and machine guns. Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Thursday that the army also seized air defense systems that the YPG had looted from some military air bases following the fall of the Baathist regime in 2024.
Damascus and the YPG signed a memorandum on a cease-fire and the group’s gradual integration into the security forces on Jan. 29. Syrian forces recently entered Hassakeh, which had been under YPG control, and took over key institutions, including the governorate and courthouse. On Sept. 1, the Syrian Interior Ministry sent reinforcements to the city to help complete the takeover.
The new administration in Damascus has sought to restore central government control across the country after years of fragmentation during the civil war.
The dissolution of the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, is crucial for Türkiye. Türkiye itself launched the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative aimed at the dissolution of the PKK. The PKK agreed and made a symbolic start to its disarmament process last year. In exchange, Türkiye offered leniency and deferred sentencing for PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
