The Media Line: Syrian Kurdish Commander Vows ‘All Efforts’ To Save Integration Deal With Damascus  

Syrian Kurdish Commander Vows ‘All Efforts’ To Save Integration Deal With Damascus  

By The Media Line Staff  

Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said in a statement on Thursday that “all efforts” are underway to prevent the collapse of talks on integrating his forces and their self-rule administration into Syria’s central government.  

His comments came days after deadly clashes between SDF units and Syrian government forces around Aleppo, which prompted both sides to order their fighters to halt fire amid fears that the fragile process could unravel.  

Under a March deal with President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, the SDF and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration are supposed to be folded into state institutions by the end of 2025, while Damascus formally regains sovereignty over the northeast.  

Abdi said the SDF remains committed to the accord and that the two sides are working toward “mutual understanding” on military integration and joint operations against the Islamic State (IS), stressing that the text does not fix a hard deadline that would automatically send both camps back to war.  

The deal is being closely watched by the United States, which has backed the SDF as its main partner against IS, and by Turkey, which views the Kurdish-led forces on its border as a security threat. Ankara has pressed for rapid integration and warned its patience with the SDF is “running out,” while Syrian officials insist the year-end target is firm and say only “irreversible steps” toward merging SDF structures into the army and other institutions can justify extending the timeline.