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The Syrian government and the terrorist organization YPG-led SDF have reportedly agreed in principle on a plan to merge the U.S.-backed group as a cohesive group into the national army, the SDF ringleader said Thursday.
Mazloum Abdi, the ringleader of YPG-led and U.S.-backed SDF, said in an interview with The Associated Press (AP) that the two sides have now agreed on a "mechanism" for the merger. There's no comment yet from the Syrian government.
"We are talking about a large number, tens of thousands of soldiers, as well as thousands of internal security forces," Abdi said.
"These forces cannot join the Syrian army individually, like other small factions. Rather, they will join as large military formations formed according to the rules of the Defense Ministry," he added.
The comments appeared to signal a breakthrough after talks between the SDF and the Syrian government in Damascus had floundered for months.
The leadership in Damascus under President Ahmad al-Sharaa inked a deal in March with the SDF, which occupies much of the country's northeast. Under the agreement, the SDF was to merge its forces with the new Syrian army, but implementation had stalled due to the SDF's refusal to join.
A major sticking point had been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or whether the group would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed into the new military.
Abdi said they have formed a committee that will work with the defense minister and other military officials to specify the "suitable mechanisms" for integration. Abdi said he expects SDF members and commanders who join the national military will receive good posts at the Defense Ministry and army command.
"Based on their experience and long service they will get a respectable place within the Syrian army," Abdi said. He added that their experience "will help in strengthening the military."
"The police force in northeast Syria will also merge into the country's security forces," he said.
Abdi said that during a trip earlier this month to Damascus he met with al-Sharaa and other officials including the ministers of foreign affairs and defense, during which they reached "an agreement in principle" on the mechanism.
However, tensions have risen recently. Also, earlier this month, clashes broke out between security forces and SDF in neighborhoods of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
"This was one of the reasons that contributed to the delay in implementing the March 10 agreement," he said, adding, "However, we believe that if progress is made in the March agreement and all its provisions are practically implemented, we will be able to prevent the recurrence of such events."
The SDF is dominated by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK.
On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, stressing the country's territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist designs. However, the group has violated the agreement on more than one occasion, according to reports.
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