US envoy urges Kurds to seize ‘greatest opportunity’ and integrate under Sharaa-led Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Syria indicated Tuesday that Damascus has become Washington’s main partner in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. Tom Barrack further urged the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which defeated ISIS with US support in 2019, to integrate into the central government.

In a statement on X, Barrack noted that the US military presence in northeast Syria (Rojava) was originally justified by the need to partner with the SDF against ISIS, as “no functioning central government” existed in Syria at the time.

“Today, the situation has fundamentally changed,” he wrote, highlighting that Damascus has now joined the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and is “willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.”

The top US diplomat further added that “the greatest opportunity for the Kurds in Syria right now” lies in the transition under Syrian interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, describing it as “a pathway to full integration into a unified Syrian state with citizenship rights, cultural protections, and political participation.”

Barrack’s remarks came shortly after the Syrian presidency announced that Damascus had reached “a mutual understanding” with the SDF “on a number of issues concerning the future of Hasaka province.”

According to the presidency, the agreement grants the SDF a four-day consultation period to develop a detailed plan for integrating the areas. “If an agreement is reached, Syrian forces will not enter the centers of [the predominantly Kurdish cities of] Hasaka and Qamishli and will remain on their outskirts,” it added.

The statement also noted that “the two sides agreed to integrate all SDF military and security forces into the defense and interior ministries," while noting that “discussions will continue on the detailed mechanism of integration” and that “civil institutions will be incorporated into the structure of the Syrian government."

The implementation of the understanding "will begin at 8:00 pm [local time] today [Tuesday]," the presidency concluded.

The Tuesday deal notably comes amid advances by the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated groups into SDF-held areas in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka since mid-January.

The offensive prompted Kurdish leaders to call for “general mobilization,” urging Kurdish communities in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Europe to defend Rojava.

Despite ongoing clashes, Barrack, who also serves as Washington’s ambassador to Turkey, urged the Kurds to seize the “unique window” to integrate into the new Syrian state and participate in governance in a manner “far beyond the semi-autonomy the SDF held amid civil war chaos.”

“The United States is pushing for safeguards on Kurdish rights and counter-ISIS cooperation,” the envoy added, highlighting its role in “facilitating talks between the SDF and the Syrian government to allow for the peaceful integration of the SDF and the political inclusion of Syria’s Kurdish population into a historic full Syrian citizenship.”

“This integration, backed by US diplomacy, represents the strongest chance yet for Kurds to secure enduring rights and security within a recognized Syrian nation-state,” Barrack stressed.

Of note, Qutaiba Idlbi, Director of American Affairs at Syria’s foreign ministry, told Rudaw on Tuesday that Trump and Sharaa confirmed in a Monday phone call “the necessity of integrating the SDF, and what remains of them, into the institutions of the Syrian state.”

In the current integration negotiations, “We returned to the previous proposal, which focuses on individual integration [of the SDF],” Idlbi said, adding that “this creates a better situation for cohesion within the military institution and builds brotherhood in arms among different Syrian components, whether Arabs or Kurds, and from various backgrounds.”