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The United States and Türkiye have given the SDF a 30-day deadline to finish integrating with the Syrian government, sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye on Monday.
During a meeting in Syria last week, U.S. and Turkish officials delivered the ultimatum as American and Turkish patience wears thin over stalled negotiations.
YPG-led SDF's ringleader Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement in March with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, outlining the full merger of the SDF and its agencies into the Damascus government.
However, progress has stalled as the SDF and other groups linked with the YPG-led SDF have demanded autonomy and resisted merging under the Syrian defense ministry, insisting on retaining a separate military command and organizational structure within the Syrian army.
"The SDF was told that not all of its armed units would be integrated into the Syrian army. Units excluded from integration would be disarmed, and overall control would remain with the Syrian government," one source said.
The Damascus government reportedly shows little interest in incorporating the SDF's all-women units, known as the YPJ—an offshoot of the terrorist organization PKK—into its ranks.
Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, has made it clear in several interviews and statements this month that Washington opposes Kurdish demands and favors a unified Syria with one nation, one military, and one state.
After discussions earlier this month between the SDF delegation, Syrian government officials, and American and French representatives yielded no breakthrough, Barrack told journalists in New York, "We'll bring you together, we'll arbitrate, we'll mediate, we'll help, but we're not going to stick around."
"If you guys don't agree, then don't agree, but we're not going to be here forever as the babysitter and the mediator," he said.
Turkish officials at the meeting held in Syria last week emphasized that the SDF should not exploit the goodwill of Damascus, Ankara and Washington by prolonging negotiations and stalling for time.
Barrack also warned the SDF that failure to reach an agreement with Damascus could result in "other alternatives."
Barrack, who spoke to SDF ringleader Mazloum Abdi over the weekend, said this week that he does not believe the violence in Sweida will derail talks and that there could be a breakthrough "in the coming weeks."
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity under government protocol, said that while they could not discuss specifics of private diplomatic conversations, the integration talks between the SDF and the Syrian government remain ongoing and active.
"We support the continuation of these discussions as the best way to resolve any outstanding issues," the official said.
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