Türkiye’s cautious optimism about any initiatives to end terrorism manifested itself again after the new rulers of Syria found a compromise with the SDF, an umbrella group dominated by the PKK/YPG terrorist group. Like its own "terror-free Türkiye” initiative, Türkiye proceeds with caution regarding the outcome of processes not involving counterterrorism operations.

Turkish Defense Ministry sources said Thursday that they would wait and see how the deal would play out, its repercussions in the field, and the positive and negative output stemming from the deal before further assessment. Sources, however, emphasized that Türkiye’s resolve in counterterrorism continued and there were no changes in its expectations for an end to terrorist activities in Syria, for terrorists to lay down arms and for foreign terrorists to leave Syria, just as there were no changes in Türkiye’s support to Syria to ensure its territorial and political integrity. Separately, the Defense Ministry announced that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) eliminated 24 terrorists in the past week, and since Jan. 1, 502 terrorists from the PKK were eliminated in operations in Syria and Iraq, a hotbed of PKK terrorism.

The deal was signed Monday by Syria’s interim President Ahmed 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, an umbrella armed group led by the U.S.-backed 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, as well as 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 smuggles oil to the Syrian regime, despite U.S. sanctions, to generate revenue for its activities.

Earlier this week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that successfully implementing the agreement to ensure Syria’s security and peace will ultimately benefit the Syrian people. He highlighted the need for cooperation and unity in the region, stating that strengthening solidarity would help dismantle destabilizing threats and safeguard the future.

US role?

On Thursday, sources speaking to Reuters said the U.S. encouraged the YPG to reach a landmark deal with the new administration, an agreement that could stave off further conflict in northern Syria at a time of uncertainty over the future of U.S. forces deployed there.

Şahin was flown to Damascus for Monday's signing with al-Sharaa aboard a U.S. military aircraft, three sources said. Three other sources – U.S. officials – said the U.S. had encouraged the SDF to move toward an agreement to resolve its status in the new Syria – the focus of multi-track talks that began after Bashar Assad was toppled in December and which Reuters reported on in January. "The U.S. played a very crucial role," a senior regional intelligence source said.

The deal came at a moment of pressure on both sides.

Al-Sharaa is grappling with the fallout of attacks by Assad loyalists while the YPG is locked in conflict with the Syrian National Army (SNA) allied to Damascus.

Four sources, including one close to the Syrian government, said the recent violence had nudged along the agreement.

The intelligence source and a Damascus-based diplomat expected the deal to ease Turkish military pressure on the YPG. A Syrian government official said the presidency would work to address pending issues between the SDF and Türkiye.

Washington has developed deep ties with the YPG since deploying forces to the country to fight Daesh a decade ago, partnering with the terrorist group despite objections from its main NATO ally, Türkiye. The U.S. troop deployment has come into renewed focus since President Donald Trump returned to power. Ahead of any policy decisions on Syria, the Pentagon has started developing plans for a potential withdrawal, should one be ordered, U.S. officials tell Reuters. Still, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday there was no sign that a pullout was imminent.

The U.S. defense official said Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, had helped push the SDF toward the deal but that the agreement was already moving along. The thinking in the U.S. administration was that the SDF would be unlikely to hold onto its territory in the long term if it faced pressure from Türkiye and the new Syrian government combined, the U.S. defense official said.

"The United States is looking for ways to withdraw from Syria without chaos and blowback. The best way of doing that is to secure a deal among the Syrian factions," said Aron Lund of Century International, a U.S.-based think tank. "A negotiated handover makes sense for the U.S.,” he said.

The U.S. military declined to comment on all aspects of the deal, including any role it may have had in encouraging talks or whether it provided transportation to Şahin to reach Damascus. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington welcomed the agreement.

Erdem Ozan, a former Turkish diplomat and expert on Syria, said the agreement benefited both sides. "Sharaa gains political breathing room after recent unrest in the coastal area, and the SDF avoids a direct clash with Türkiye at a time when U.S. policy on Syria remains uncertain," he said.

The deal did not say how the SDF would be merged with Syria's armed forces. The SDF has previously said its forces must join as a bloc. Damascus wants them to join as individuals. The Syrian government official said committees would work to address details, including the control of borders. "While it might seem like a win-win now, the real test will be in its execution," Ozan said.

An SDF spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions. Şahin has called the deal a "real opportunity to build a new Syria."