Syrian authorities, U.S. officials and the U.S.-backed YPG terrorist group have stepped up talks ahead of a year-end deadline to implement a long-delayed integration deal, according to several people involved in or familiar with the talks.
Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustrations over delays, according to the Syrian, Kurdish and Western sources who spoke to Reuters, some of whom cautioned that a major breakthrough was unlikely.
The interim Syrian government has sent a proposal to the YPG, the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot that controls the country's northeast, according to five of the sources.
In it, Damascus expressed openness to the YPG reorganizing its roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units, according to one Syrian, one Western and three YPG officials.
It was unclear whether the idea would move forward, and several sources downplayed prospects of a comprehensive 11th-hour deal, saying more talks are needed. Still, one YPG official said: "We are closer to a deal than ever before."
A second Western official said that any announcement in the coming days would be meant in part to "save face," extend the deadline and maintain stability in a nation that remains fragile a year after the fall of dictator Bashar Assad.
Whatever emerges was expected to fall short of the YPG’s full integration into the military and other state institutions by year-end, as was called for in a landmark March 10 agreement between the sides, most of the sources said.
Failure to mend Syria's deepest remaining fracture risks an armed clash that could derail its emergence from 14 years of war, and potentially draw in neighboring Türkiye, which has warned of an operation against the YPG terrorists entrenched near its borders.
Both sides have accused the other of stalling and acting in bad faith. The YPG is reluctant to give up the so-called autonomy it won as the main U.S. ally during the war, after which it controlled Daesh prisons and rich oil resources.
The U.S., which backs Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and has urged global support for his interim government, has relayed messages between the YPG and Damascus, facilitated talks and urged a deal, several sources said.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy to Syria, continued to support and facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the YPG, saying the aim was to maintain momentum toward integration of the forces.
Since a major round of talks in the summer between the sides failed to produce results, frictions have mounted, including frequent skirmishes along several front lines across the north.
The YPG took control of much of northeast Syria, where most of the nation's oil and wheat production is, after driving out Daesh terrorists in 2019. It said it was fighting for the rights of the Kurdish minority, but resentment against its rule has grown among the region’s population, including against the forced conscription of young Arab men.
A Syrian official said the year-end deadline for integration is firm and only "irreversible steps" by the YPG could bring an extension.
Türkiye's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Thursday it does not want to resort to military means but warned that patience with the YPG is "running out."
YPG officials have downplayed the deadline and said they are committed to talks toward a just integration.
"The most reliable guarantee for the agreement's continued validity lies in its content, not timeframe," said Sihanouk Dibo, an official with the so-called "Rojava autonomous administration,” suggesting it could take until mid-2026 to address all points in the deal.
The YPG had, in October, floated the idea of reorganizing into three geographical divisions as well as the brigades. It is unclear whether that concession, in the proposal from Damascus in recent days, would be enough to convince it to give up territorial control.
Abdel Karim Omar, representative of the "Rojava autonomous administration,” said the proposal, which has not been made public, included "logistical and administrative details that could cause disagreement and lead to delays."
A senior Syrian official told Reuters the response "has flexibility to facilitate reaching an agreement that implements the March accord."
