A new era is set to begin in Syria after the fall of the Baathist regime as one of the last holdovers from the civil war period agreed with the new rulers of the country.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has reached an agreement with the terrorist PKK's Syrian offshoot YPG-dominated SDF, which includes a cease-fire and merging the forces with the Syrian army. The deal was signed by al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Şahin code-named "Mazloum Kobani," the wanted ringleader of the SDF, the Syrian Presidency announced Monday.
It marks a major breakthrough that would bring most of Syria under the control of the government led by the group that led the ousting of dictator Bashar Assad in December. The SDF, a U.S.-backed armed wing of the YPG, currently controls one-third of Syria's territory, including most of the country's oil and gas fields. The YPG uses the name SDF to give itself an air of legitimacy.
The group, which is the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group, had refused to join the new Syrian Defense Ministry following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
The deal to be implemented by the end of the year would bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye in the northeast, airports and oil fields under the control of the central government.
Syria's Kurds will gain their rights, including teaching and using their language, which were banned for decades under Assad.
The agreement envisions the integration of Syrian Arab Republic institutions and affirms territorial unity while rejecting any form of division, said the presidency on X.
It highlighted that "the participation and representation of Syrians in political processes and state institutions based on merit, regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds, is guaranteed."
It also underlined that "the Kurdish community is an integral component of the Syrian state, and the Syrian state guarantees citizenship rights and all constitutional rights."
Other notable points in the text include: "Ensuring a cease-fire across all of Syria's territories, the integration of all civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria, including border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields, into Syrian state governance, support for the Syrian state's fight against remnants of the Assad regime and all elements threatening the country's security and unity, a rejection of calls for division, hate speech and attempts to stir discord among all components of Syrian society, and the establishment of executive committees to ensure the agreement is implemented by the end of this year."
Since 2015, the PKK/YPG has occupied several Syrian provinces, including Arab-majority Deir el-Zour, a resource-rich region bordering Iraq, bisected by the Euphrates River and home to dozens of tribal communities.
The terrorist group has forced many locals to migrate, bringing in its members to change the regional demographic structure, conducting arbitrary arrests, kidnapping children of local tribes for forced recruitment and assassinating tribe leaders to yoke local groups.
It has also seized the region's oil wells – Syria's largest – and smuggled oil to the Syrian regime, despite U.S. sanctions, to generate revenue for its activities.
U.S. forces in Syria have trained thousands of YPG/PKK terrorists in their military bases in the region under the pretext of combating terrorism. The U.S. has also provided YPG/PKK terrorists with huge amounts of weapons and combat equipment. Türkiye, which has troops inside Syria, and Turkish-backed opposition groups in Syria's northwest routinely clash with the PKK/YPG, which seeks to establish a terror corridor along the country's border.
Jordan and Qatar were the first countries to welcome the deal. A statement by Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described it as "a significant step toward rebuilding Syria based on the principles that ensure its unity, sovereignty and security." The ministry reaffirmed Jordan's support and commitment "to assisting the Syrian people in overcoming the transitional phase." Qatar also praised the agreement with a Foreign Ministry statement described the accord, which reaffirms Syria's territorial unity and rejects partition, as "an important step toward strengthening civil peace, enhancing security and stability, and building a state of institutions and law." Qatar affirmed that "Syria's stability and prosperity require that the state monopolize arms through a unified military representing all Syrian components, ensuring the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity." It reiterated its "full support for Syria's sovereignty and the aspirations of its brotherly people for freedom, development, and prosperity," the statement added.
Syria was rocked with clashes between security forces of the new administration and remnants of the Assad regime that concentrated on coastal towns that were former strongholds of the Baathist regime. Reportedly high atrocities among the civilian population during clashes and attacks raised concerns about the well-being of citizens from a minority group of the ousted autocrat Bashar Assad belonged to.
The country’s new administration announced the conclusion of operations to end the attacks on Monday while an investigative committee was set up in the aftermath, to probe alleged crimes against Alawite civilians, including mass murders, during the crackdown on Assad loyalists.
It was the first major security challenge for the al-Sharaa-led administration, which sought to create a new Syria inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups.
Türkiye is a major supporter of the new rulers of Syria and a steadfast opponent of the presence of the YPG. Ankara has warned that a cross-border military offensive could be carried out if the YPG does not exclude “non-Syrian” members and continue engaging in acts of terrorism.
