Kurdish-led SDF agrees to integrate with Syrian government forces

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi (L) signed the deal alongside interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R)

A Kurdish-led militia alliance which controls north-eastern Syria has signed a deal to integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state, the country's presidency says.

The agreement, which includes a complete cessation of hostilities, says the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will hand over control of the region's border posts, airport, and vital oil and gas fields.

It also recognises the Kurdish minority as "an integral part of the Syrian state" and guarantees "the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process".

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi called the deal a "real opportunity to build a new Syria".

"We are committed to building a better future that guarantees the rights of all Syrians and fulfils their aspirations for peace and dignity," he wrote on X after signing the deal in Damascus on Monday alongside interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The deal represents a major step towards Sharaa's goal to unify the fractured country after his Sunni Islamist group led the rebel offensive that overthrew president Bashar al-Assad in December and ended 13 years of devastating civil war.

It could also de-escalate the SDF's conflict with neighbouring Turkey and Turkish-backed Syrian former rebel factions allied to the government, which are trying to push the alliance out of areas near the border.

There were celebrations welcoming the announcement of the deal on the streets of several cities on Monday night, with many people expressing relief at a time when Syria is facing several other threats to its stability.

The recent mass killings of Alawite civilians in the western coastal region during clashes between security forces and Assad loyalists have sparked calls for international protection for Syria's religious and ethnic minorities and amplified voices promoting division.

There is also concern about the south, where some Druze militias in Suweida province have been reluctant to lay down their arms. However, Suweida residents said representatives met Sharaa in Damascus on Monday and a deal like the SDF's was expected soon.

Israel has also threatened to intervene to protect the Druze from the government, which it considers a threat. It has also carried out an air campaign to destroy much of Syria's military capabilities and seized a demilitarised buffer zone next to the occupied Golan Heights.

The SDF, which has tens of thousands of well-armed and well-trained fighters, was not aligned with either Assad's regime or the opposition during the civil war.

It currently controls more than 46,000 sq km (18,000 sq miles) of territory in the north-east, where it defeated the Islamic State (IS) group in 2019 with the help of a US-led coalition.

The SDF plays a major role in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which governs the region also known to Kurds as Rojava.

About 10,000 IS fighters are being detained in SDF-run prisons spread across the region and about 45,000 other people linked to IS, mostly women and children, are held in several camps.

Since the fall of Assad, the SDF has warned that attacks from Turkish-backed factions are forcing it to divert fighters away from guarding the prisons and paving the way for an IS resurgence.

The Turkish government views the biggest militia in the SDF, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), as a terrorist organisation. It says it the YPG is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) group that waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades but whose imprisoned leader recently declared a ceasefire.

There was no immediate comment from Turkey in response to Monday's agreement. However, Turkish officials have previously called for all Kurdish-led groups in north-eastern Syria to dissolve and integrate with the new government.

Several Arab countries welcomed the deal, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar both describing it as an important step towards maintaining "civil peace".

Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.

Syria's Kurds, which make up about make up about 10% of the population, were suppressed and denied basic rights during the Assad family's rule.