U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy to Syria Thomas J. Barrack held a second meeting in two weeks with Ferhat Abdi Şahin, leader of the U.S.-backed PKK/YPG terrorist group in Syria. A statement by the embassy’s X account said that two men discussed the current situation in Syria and the need for urgent steps to restore calm and stability, referring to clashes between local armed groups in Suwayda that killed hundreds over the last week. “They agreed the time for unity is now,” the statement said.
The YPG is the Syrian wing of the PKK, which started laying down arms after decades of violence, as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched last year. The group was openly supported by the U.S., which had designated the PKK as a terrorist group years ago. Washington justified the armament of the YPG as part of its alliance with the YPG against the terrorist group Daesh. The YPG has been reluctant to join the PKK to abandon arms, while Ankara hopes that even if it does not join the PKK, it may integrate itself into the new Syrian army and therefore, cease its existence. The YPG signed a deal with the new administration in Damascus in the wake of the fall of the Baathist regime last December for integration, but the deal showed little progress as the YPG repeatedly voiced its demand for a “decentralized” administration in the country, hoping to keep its self-styled autonomous entity in northeastern Syria intact. Damascus staunchly opposes it.
The embassy stated that Barrack and Şahin discussed practical steps toward integration into a unified Syria, aiming for a peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and stable future for all Syrians.
