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A military agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF is expected to be announced in Damascus between Dec. 27 and 30 under U.S. sponsorship, Syria TV reported Thursday, citing exclusive sources.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group.
"Washington is exerting significant pressure on both sides to sign the agreement before the end of the current year," the source said.
The deal would reportedly integrate 90,000 SDF and so-called internal security forces into the Syrian Defense and Interior ministries, with three military divisions allocated to the SDF in Raqqa, Deir el-Zour, and al-Hasakah provinces under the Defense Ministry of Syria.
According to Syria TV's source, several contentious points are still being discussed:
The SDF is insisting on establishing two military brigades:
Washington supports the establishment of the counterterrorism brigade for joint operations with government forces against Daesh, the source said.
The SDF also reportedly rejects the entry of Syrian security or army forces into northeastern Syria and has proposed that the government appoint military commanders from its ranks within these forces and security institutions.
According to the source, the so-called leadership from the SDF and internal security will be assigned positions in the Defense and Interior ministries to oversee military divisions and security forces in northeastern Syria.
A SDF source told Syria TV that the United States and European countries have sponsored and supported the March 10 agreement from the beginning.
"Britain, France and Germany urged both sides to proceed with implementing the agreement and reach a mechanism leading to the integration of military, security forces and institutions before the end of the current year," the source said.
"The U.S. State Department team, the British envoy to northeastern Syria, and the French envoy are supervising efforts to bring the two sides' views closer and resolve disputed points to accelerate reaching a comprehensive agreement," the source added.
The SDF source cited by the report confirmed that "the military agreement has reached advanced stages" and both sides agreed that reactivating state institutions in northeastern Syria "may take some time."
"Extending the implementation of the March agreement for at least another three months is inevitable due to the difficulty of implementing it before the end of the current year," the source said.
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Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed an agreement with SDF ringleader Mazloum Abdi on March 10, 2025, calling for the integration of SDF forces into the Syrian army and state institutions, with implementation to be completed before the end of the year.
Turkish officials have expressed skepticism about SDF compliance. Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Spokesman Omer Celik recently stated that the SDF is "moving in the opposite direction" of the agreement because it has "fallen for certain promises from Zionist genocidal forces."
Defense Minister Yasar Guler also recently noted that Türkiye is monitoring new fortifications in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour and warned that "all options are on the table" if the SDF does not comply.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during his joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, noted that the SDF has "no intention of making much progress" in integration talks and that "SDF conducting activities in coordination with Israel is a major obstacle."
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