The Syrian government has given Kurdish forces a four-day deadline to agree to integrate the last territory they control in Syria into the central government, after their main ally, the United States, urged them to take this step, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barak wrote in a post on social media that integration is the "best option" that the Kurds currently have in Syria.
"The initial mission of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces as the main force against "Islamic State" "(IS) on the ground is largely over because Damascus is now ready to take control of security, in particular control of IS detention centers," Barak wrote. In doing so, he made it clear that the Kurdish forces' original purpose as a counterweight to the Islamic State group, defeated in Syria in 2019, has largely been abandoned and that the United States has no long-term interest in maintaining its presence in the country, signaling an apparent end to Washington's support.
"The best opportunity for the Kurds in Syria now lies in the transition to a new government after (Bashar) Assad, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa," Barak wrote.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, which have lost control of large parts of Syria in recent days to the advance of government troops, said they accepted a ceasefire agreement with the government in Damascus announced earlier today and would not take military action unless attacked.
A statement from the Syrian government said an agreement had been reached with the Kurdish forces to prepare a plan for their integration of the Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, which is still under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, into the central government. Otherwise, they risk the Syrian army entering two cities controlled by Kurdish forces.
Earlier today, the government in Damascus announced a four-day ceasefire and said it had asked the Syrian Democratic Forces to propose a candidate for the post of assistant defense minister in Damascus as part of the process of integrating the Kurdish forces into the central government.
The rapid change in the situation for the Syrian Democratic Forces on one of the main contentious issues in Syria marks the biggest shift in territorial control in the country since al-Sharaa and his fighters overthrew the long-standing regime of former leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024 and raises questions about the security of facilities where prisoners from the "Islamic State" are being held, Reuters points out.