ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said late Sunday that they and the transitional government in Damascus have agreed to hold further talks on military integration. State media said both sides failed to reach concrete results.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi on Sunday led a delegation to the Syrian capital to discuss the ongoing process of integrating his forces into the new security apparatus. Despite remarks indicating “good news” both sides did not report progress.
The talks focused on “the issue of integrating military forces within the framework of a formal dialogue,” said the SDF in a statement after the meeting ended, adding that both sides “agreed to continue holding meetings during the coming phase to complete discussions and follow up on this matter through an organized process until results are reached.”
Damascus has not commented on the meeting, which was reportedly mediated by Americans.
Abu Omar al-Idlibi, a senior commander of the North Democratic Forces - a component of the SDF - spoke to Rudaw while the two sides were holding talks. He said they would agree on the establishment of three divisions for SDF forces and three brigades for their female fighters, border security and counterterrorism.
Abdulkarim Omer, who represents the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) in Damascus, told Rudaw on Saturday that the meeting would be followed by “good news” for the people of northeast Syria (Rojava).
However, Syrian state media cited an unnamed government official as saying both sides failed to reach any concrete results. Hours later, the head of SDF media office indirectly asked the media to wait for official results without elaborating.
The talks are part of ongoing negotiations aimed at integrating the SDF and the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria into state institutions, following a landmark agreement reached in March.
Key disagreements remain over the form of integration, with Damascus favoring individual absorption of fighters into the army, while the SDF insists on remaining a unified force in its current areas.
Washington and Ankara have increased their pressure on the SDF and Damascus to implement the agreement.
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