Damascus and Kurdish-led Forces Agree Framework for Integration

After weeks of fighting in north-eastern Syria, Damascus and the Kurdish-led alliance reached a political-military accord intended to end a period of contested control and begin formal reintegration. The arrangement envisages many SDF members being absorbed into state security forces or a newly created military formation drawn from former SDF ranks—reported to be structured into three brigades—while Kurdish-run administrative organs are to be brought under central authority. As part of the settlement, control of prisons and energy installations previously overseen by Kurdish authorities was handed to government forces; the army secured major infrastructure, including the country’s largest oilfield and the strategically important Tabqa dam. The deal includes formal guarantees on cultural and civil rights for Kurdish communities, measures to resolve statelessness, and provisions to facilitate the return of displaced residents. These formal terms, however, sit against a volatile operational backdrop. Pro-government advances in recent days have seen rapid territorial reversals in several urban centres, and the capture of the al-Hawl detention complex produced chaotic scenes that expose operational risks around facilities holding families and suspects linked to Islamic State. Nearby al-Roj camp remains under Kurdish custodianship but suffers extreme overcrowding, legal limbo and acute humanitarian distress—conditions that both deepen local grievances and create security vulnerabilities. Many Kurdish fighters describe feelings of abandonment after perceived shifts in external support, complicating trust-building and any negotiated absorption into national structures. The interim authorities now asserting control include elements from former rebel groups, a composition that has heightened distrust among Kurdish communities and raised concerns about reprisals. A 15-day ceasefire intended to facilitate prisoner and asset transfers has shown signs of strain, with reports of night-time militia patrols, hardline rhetoric on both sides and episodes of population displacement. Those dynamics mean the agreement’s success is contingent not just on formal signatures but on credible protections for detainees and displaced people, transparent management of energy revenues, and strong local buy-in to prevent spoilers from provoking renewed clashes. External actors and humanitarian organizations will likely be needed to help secure detention sites, monitor rights guarantees and provide relief in camps while political and security arrangements are operationalized. Ultimately, the pact creates a framework for reintegration and reasserts central control over key resources, but practical implementation and humanitarian stabilization will determine whether the accord translates into durable peace or a fragile pause prone to reversal.