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U.S. envoy Tom Barrack delivered a decisive message to the terrorist SDF group’s ringleaders during the latest negotiations, marking a clear end to US readiness to support the group in any confrontation with Türkiye or the Syrian government, reports suggest.
The message is said to have become the turning point in the talks that led to a comprehensive Jan. 30 agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government covering military, security and administrative integration.
Talks were conducted under close U.S. oversight and were led by SDF commander Mazlum Abdi, the Saudi outlet Al Majalla reported. After a Jan. 18 understanding between the sides, negotiations moved quickly toward a final framework setting out how SDF structures would merge into state institutions.
Sources close to the process told Al Majalla that the SDF initially sought a defined political role in Syria’s future and constitutional guarantees, but later reduced its demands to local security arrangements and the status of Kurdish-majority areas after Washington shifted its position toward Damascus.
U.S. policy changed following direct engagement between President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, which resulted in Syria’s international isolation easing and sanctions being lifted, the report asserted.
Washington then treated Damascus as its primary counterpart, with Barrack taking part in meetings in both Damascus and Erbil.
The Jan. 30 agreement establishes a permanent ceasefire and a phased integration model, the report said. Under the framework, a new military division made up of three SDF brigades will be formed. An additional brigade based in Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani, will report to the Aleppo Command.
Interior Ministry security units will deploy in Hasakah and Qamishli, while regular army forces will reposition 5 to 10 kilometers outside city centers. Local police presence will continue in towns and districts with Kurdish population majorities.
Earlier autonomy drafts that included three full divisions and two independent brigades for the Autonomous Administration were dropped during the negotiations, narrowing the scope of self-rule provisions.
The deal also requires all SDF members to be integrated individually into the Defense and Interior ministries. Non-Syrian PKK terrorists are required to leave the country under the terms of the understanding.
At the same time, battlefield conditions tightened. Syrian army units advanced from eastern Aleppo toward the Euphrates River, and several Arab tribal groups distanced themselves from the SDF. With Arab components making up about 70% of SDF fighters, these shifts added operational pressure.
Russian forces also withdrew from Qamishli Airport during the escalation, Türkiye Today reported earlier.
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